The reverse (i.e. the back) of the penny will depict Lincoln's humble beginnings as opposed to his presidency. That's an unusual approach, but one which is highly appropriate, considering that Lincoln had the humblest of beginnings in life. The image on the upper left depicts Lincoln as a student in either a classroom or studying on his own. The image on the upper right shows Abe as an Illinois state legislator. Finally, the two images on the bottom show different variations of the log cabin in which he was born.
For my money (no pun intended), I like the legislator design and either of the log cabin designs. the obverse (i.e. the front) of the penny will not be changed. I'm not sure if this redesign of the reverse will be permanent or not.
Here's a link to Numismater.com (a coin collector website) which discusses the images in more detail, plus also shows 35+ other designs which had been considered.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Lincoln Cent Redesign For Bicentennial
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2 comments:
Why is Abraham Lincoln on the penny?
A great question. Prior to the year 1909, the penny featured a Native American for many years. Those are called "Indian Head" pennies.
1909 was the centennial of Lincoln's birth. The U.S. Mint chose to honor Lincoln by changing the design of the penny to feature his profile. Back in those days, the cent coin was far more important than it is now, since a penny could actually buy something.
Thanks for reading the blog and for your question.
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