America Lincoln Cent 1909 – 1942, 1946 – 1958 and 1944 – 1945.

The Lincoln Cent Series.
If it would serve any purpose to select one coin from all of the coins ever issued by the United States for its outstanding contribution to numismatics that coin would have to be the Lincoln cent. It has been current longer than any other design, there have been more pieces minted of this coin than of any other denomination, and it is probably the only coin represented to some degree in every coin collector’s cabinet in the world.

It is readily adaptable to any chosen method or system of collecting, and it has never failed to provide more than its fair share of rarities, scarcities, and potentially valuable mint varieties. As a matter of fact, aside from its lack of intrinsic value, the Lincoln series, dollar for dollar, offers as much challenge to a collector and potential profit to an investor as any series or denomination in United States coinage short of gold.

The ensuing profiles will emphasize those dates and varieties considered essential to type sets, consecutive series collections, or investment programs in which the Lincoln cent plays a part. Fortunately for the novice, the design simplicity in this particular series eliminates the necessity of having to determine one type or one variety from another. The obverse has never changed since it was introduced in 1909, and the reverse is so obviously different between the 1909 and the 1959 that a mistake is impossible.

All rare, scare, and key coins are illustrated to show their respective qualifying components such as mint marks, designer’s initials, die varieties, and date variations to assist in recognizing each piece. The grading or physical condition is left to the judgment of the observer supported by Photograde.   

America One Cent small (Lincoln Head), 1909 – 1942, 1946 – 1958.

Struck at both the Philadelphia and San Francisco mints, the first coin to bear the likeness of a recognizable person and the first to bear the portrait of a United STATES President, cent also carried the initials of the designer Victor D. Brenner inside its lower reverse rim. It is perhaps the finest striking of the Lincoln series, with both obverse and reverse details sharp. It is a very desirable type specimen.

The Philadelphia issue is collectable in all grades with a sufficient mintage to make uncalculated specimens available within a reasonable budget. Ont the other hand, the extremely low proof mintage provides the collector-investor with ample reason to consider the future of this coin with a very optimistic eye.

One Cent small (Lincoln Head), 1944 – 1945.

this variety is shown separately only because it does have a place in the series. Its right to be considered a type of the Lincoln issue lies in its composition since it differs from the composition of the small cent. Made of discarded shell casings, the small cent alloy is 95 percent copper and 5 percent zinc.

Mint Marks.

The mint mark is an important part of a coin’s value and designates the place of a given coin in any series, set, or collection where the coin shown is in fact the coin called for chronologically. The mint mark is a legal designate, and any attempt to remove it from a coin to satisfy the need for a coin without such a mark is in violation of the coinage laws of most countries of the world, including the United States.

C    = Charlotte Mint, Charlotte, North Carolina.

CC = Carson City Mint, Carson City, Nevada.

D     =Dahlonega Mint, Dahlonega, Georgia (gold only).

D    = Denver Mint, Denver, Colorado.

O    = New Orleans Mint, New Orleans, Louisiana.  

Obverse: Abraham Lincoln facing right upper hair side “IN GOD WE TRUST” back on portrait “LIBERTY” and near the chest side has given year name.

Reverse: Inscription in the centre full-size “ONE CENT UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” left and right two wheat plants.