New Cents

Over the years, there have been many design changes for the one-cent coin. Usually, the 25-year minimum has to pass between redesigns. But, thanks to the 2009 Lincoln Bicentennial One Cent Program, there will be four design changes within 2009! This year is not only the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth, but the 100th anniversary of the Lincoln cent as well, first appearing in 1909. The Lincoln image will remain on the front of all four cents in the new program. On the back, four different images will highlight four parts of Lincoln's life. These coins will be issued about 3 months apart in the order they happened (you can scroll down to see them). The circulating version of these coins will use the same standard inscriptions and the same metal content as have been used recently. A special version of these coins for collectors will also be made. The coins will look the same, but will contain the metals that were used in the original 1909 cent (95 percent copper, 5 percent tin and zinc) instead of the modern cent's mix (2.5 percent copper, the rest zinc). After the 2009 Lincoln Bicentennial One Cent Program ends, the design on the back of the one-cent coin will represent the unity of the states, which President Lincoln worked so hard to restore and preserve.