The Story
Every penny you've ever spent probably had Abraham Lincoln on it. That's because his picture has been there for almost a hundred years! But when the United States Mint was created in 1792, one of the first coins it made was the one-cent coin, and it looked very different from a modern cent.
The image on the first cent was of a lady with flowing hair, who stood for liberty. The coin was larger and made of pure copper, while today's penny is made of copper and zinc.
In 1857, Congress told the Mint to make the cent smaller and to mix the copper with nickel (12 percent). People found the smaller cent easier to use. The new cents showed a flying eagle on the front and a wreath on the back.
At the same time, Congress stopped people from using money from other countries, though we had used foreign coins for many years. But the Mint could melt them down and make them into United States coins.
One foreign currency we were using was British money. The British pound was not divided into 100 cents like our dollar, but its smallest part was called a penny, and that's why we call our cent a "penny" today. But for more than one, the British called them "pence" while ours are called "pennies."
The man on our pennies today is Abraham Lincoln, our 16th president. During the time the Lincoln design has appeared on the obverse (front), two different designs have been used on the reverse (back): first a wheat design, then the Lincoln Memorial. Find out more about all these designs by clicking on the "Coin of the Month" link below.
New Pennies in 2009!
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 One-Cent Coin Redesign Program, there will be four design changes within 2009!
Abraham Lincoln's image has been on the front of the penny since 1909. That image will remain in place for all four coins 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.
- His birth in Kentucky (1809 to 1816)
- His youth in Indiana (1816 to 1830)
- His professional life in Illinois (1830 to 1861)
- His presidency in Washington, DC (1861 to 1865)
Besides the regular circulating version of these coins, a special version may be made for collectors. This version would contain the same metals as the original 1909 cent (95 percent copper, 5 percent tin and zinc) instead of the modern cent's normal mix (2.5 percent copper, the rest zinc).
Beginning in 2010, the design on the back of the one-cent coin is scheduled to represent the unity of the states, which Lincoln worked so hard to restore and preserve, and not to change again any time soon.
Penny Lexicon
- A penny for your thoughts (tell me what you're thinking)
- Not one red cent (not giving up a single penny)
- Penniless, not a penny to his name (poor)
- Penny wise and pound foolish (being thrifty in small things but wasteful in important things)
- Put your two cents in (give your opinion)
- Pennies from heaven (small blessings)
- Penny-pinching (stinginess)
- Penny ante (small-time)
- Penny whistle (toy flute)
- Penny arcade (part of an amusement park with coin-operated machines)
Other Penny Resources
- Today's penny was featured as the February 2001 Coin of the Month.
- The first penny made by the United States Mint was featured as the March 2003 Coin of the Month with the first half cent, dime, and half dime.
- There were white cents: Fun Fact.
- Heads, it's Lincoln; tails, it's Lincoln: Fun Fact.
- How much was that first batch? Fun Fact.
- Washington wasn't the first president on a circulating coin: Fun Fact.
- Honest, you'd be lucky to have a silly head: Fun Fact.
- Which Revolutionary War hero also helped make coins? Fun Fact.
- This penny is almost as big as a half dollar: Fun Fact.
Teachers! Looking for lessons based on the coins in our pockets? Check out Coin Curricula.
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