Lincoln's penny gets a new look -- actually four new looks
Abraham Lincoln's penny has been around since 1909, when it was inaugurated with several firsts. It was the first U.S. coin to include the words "In God We Trust," and the first to include a portrait. "A strong feeling had prevailed against using portraits on our coins," said a Treasury Department fact sheet, "but public sentiment stemming from the 100th anniversary celebration of Abraham Lincoln's birth proved stronger than the long-standing prejudice."
Now, in honor of the 200th anniversary of Abe's birth, the U.S. Mint is planning to release four new Lincoln pennies this year. Of course these days, given the rising price of zinc and copper, it costs about 1.4 cents to make a penny. As the Washington Post suggested, maybe Congress should change the metal content of the coin to steel.
The first Lincoln penny had Abe's face on the front and two stalks of wheat on the back. That was replaced 50 years ago with the ubiquitous image of the Lincoln Memorial. But this time, the Mint has really thought outside the box and come up with four separate images for the back of the coin -- four images in the life of the 16th president.
The first depicts the one-room log cabin in Kentucky where Lincoln was born. It's already in circulation.
The second shows him as a rail splitter in Indiana. (The mint says it should start moving into circulation in mid-May). The third, due out in August, shows him reporting to work at the Illinois Legislature, and the fourth penny, due in November, depicts the U.S. Capitol without its dome -- a symbol of the civil war that divided the nation when he was president.
-- Johanna Neuman
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Photo credits: U.S. Mint
Who writes these articles? The Lincoln cent was NOT the first coin to bear the motto "In God We Trust." That honor goes to the two-cent piece first minted in 1864. Leave it to the Times to screw up even something as simple as this, something every coin collector knows.
Posted by: David Randall | February 17, 2009 at 07:46 PM
only idiots want to get rid of the penny....it fights inflation
Posted by: roy rogers | February 18, 2009 at 01:15 AM
Picturing politicians on coins is a bad idea. There's a reason why the United States avoided it until Teddy Roosevelt's administration. It's no coincidence that it happened right around the time that our political class decided that the United States should become an empire.
Posted by: Some Guy | February 18, 2009 at 02:47 AM
Why even have pennies anymore? Look at Australia - They phased out their 1 and 2 cent pieces ages ago. Pennies are unnecessary, expensive, inefficient etc..
Posted by: Chris | February 18, 2009 at 02:51 AM
Very interesting, I suppose coins minted in this year will become collectors items in years to come, as will the older coins.
Posted by: Car hire South Africa | February 18, 2009 at 02:52 AM
GREAT !!
Posted by: Rakshit Patel | February 18, 2009 at 04:33 AM
Personally, I think they should get rid of all coins altogether! Just round everything to the nearest dollar!
RT
www.anonymity.eu.tc
Posted by: John Thomas | February 18, 2009 at 04:44 AM
Nice designs. Coin collectors willl be happy too~
Posted by: nugget | February 18, 2009 at 05:57 AM
WOW! What a cool penny! I almost forgot about the 30 Trillion dollar debt!
Posted by: sdfgsdfg | February 18, 2009 at 05:57 AM
Please let 2009 be the final year pennies are minted - they are an obsolete denomination and cost more to mint than the value they represent.
Posted by: kP | February 18, 2009 at 08:06 AM
The Lincoln penny was not the first to have the 'In God We Trust' phrase. It was first used in 1864 on the 2¢ coin.
It is also not the first to use a portrait, at the 1893 Columbian Exposition quarter dollar featured Queen Isabella of Spain. It is, however, the first US coin to feature a president.
Posted by: 5seconds | February 18, 2009 at 08:47 AM
WHY ARE THEY WASTING MONEY WITH PROJECTS LIKE THIS? WHEN WE ARE BEING SQUEEZED DRY BY TAXES?
Posted by: John Taxpayer | February 18, 2009 at 09:05 AM
Quit making pennies! Seriously, people... let it go.
Posted by: Kendrick | February 18, 2009 at 09:24 AM
what are these new pennies to make up for closing Lincoln Historical sites in IL? Cause if it it aint helping
Posted by: Michelle | February 18, 2009 at 09:43 AM
Wait... so instead of using government resources to fix the economy, we are wasting time, man-power, and money to create new designs for pennies, which actually cost more than 1 cent to produce? Makes perfect sense.
Posted by: Erik | February 18, 2009 at 09:44 AM
This is an outrage.
We're wasting money on pennies. Not 1, but 4. AND WHO USES PENNIES?!
Posted by: beebs | February 18, 2009 at 09:51 AM
I wonder when we get to see them in circulation.
Posted by: seo blog | February 18, 2009 at 10:38 AM
travesti
Posted by: travesti | February 18, 2009 at 11:03 AM
Exactly how does losing money by minting coins fight inflation?
Posted by: Anonymous Coward | February 18, 2009 at 11:25 AM
How the hell am I going to get change or cash my paycheck if there is not a penny? We going to round to the nearest 10 so I can get screwed some more by big business and government? Mentally challenged persons like yourself are the cancer of our society. People like you allow the ruling class to form our minds and enslave us. Think for yourself, fool.
If the penny goes away, so will all cash shortly after, and you WILL get injected with a RFID chip shortly after that.
Once you get that, you have the mark of the beast, and he owns you 100%.
A cashless society is not one where freedom exists. They will tax you to death. STUPID SLAVES! There is no where else to run from this tyranny. We need to stop it here. Please for the love of God, wake up and start fighting to preserve your freedom.
Posted by: Bubba Gump | February 18, 2009 at 11:38 AM
A million isn't what it used to be, and pennies *are* obsolete. What about revaluing the dollar: $100 = $10?
The dime would become the new dollar, and we wouldn't have to embarrass ourselves by reissuing $500 bills any time soon :D
Posted by: Matthew Osborne | February 18, 2009 at 11:42 AM
Humm, I have an 1865 2 cent piece with the words "In God We Trust" guess you're writers don't know basic google research.
Posted by: Web | February 18, 2009 at 11:53 AM
Are there any plans to remove the one-cent coin (more popularly known as the "penny”) from circulation?
You may be interested to know that the penny is the most widely used denomination currently in circulation and it remains profitable to make. Significantly, it is Congress that determines the denominations of coins that the Mint must produce and put into circulation. Each penny costs .81 of a cent to make, but the United States Mint collects one cent for it. The profit goes to help fund the operation of the United States Mint and to help pay the public debt. In 2000, this profit added up to about $24 million. As the United States Mint produces the coins that Congress mandates, it does not have the authority to abolish a unit of currency. If directed to do so by legislation enacted by the Congress and signed by the President, the Treasury Department would again study phasing out the penny. Because the demand exists and the Federal Reserve Banks require inventories to meet the demand, the United States Mint is committed to producing the penny.
Posted by: JT | February 18, 2009 at 12:23 PM
It makes me happy to see "In God We Trust" is still being printed.
Posted by: Dan | February 18, 2009 at 12:31 PM
@Web 11:53
your = belonging to you
you're= you are
I guess some commenters don't know basic grammar.
; D
Posted by: Wondawummin | February 18, 2009 at 01:47 PM