Lincoln Cent Obverse

U.S. Mint Image

First major redesign in 50 years!

The 2009 Bicentennial Lincoln cent is the first major redesign in 50 years. Four new reverse designs were issued to celebrate the bicentennial of President Lincoln’s birth along with the 100th anniversary of the introduction of the Lincoln cent series.

The first design depicts a log cabin representing the birth and childhood of President Lincoln in Kentucky.

The second design portrays a young Lincoln educating himself while working as a rail splitter in Indiana.

The third design features a young professional Lincoln in front of the State Capitol in Illinois.

The fourth design depicts an unfinished Capitol in Washington, D.C. during Lincoln’s presidency.

The 2009 bicentennial Lincoln cent may be the last major redesign of this long running series. Calls for the United States to eliminate the cent have become louder as the cost of producing the coin has increased to more than a cent. The possibility of the Lincoln cent being produced for another 100 years seems increasingly unlikely. With predictions of high inflation looming in our future, the Lincoln cent may soon go the way of the half cent and large cent.