Get those cents more easily

The introduction of the third Lincoln cent design for 2009, the one marking Abraham’ Lincoln’s professional career in Springfield, Ill., will be held at the Old Capitol in that city Aug. 13.

The question is: will anybody be paying any attention to the governor of Illinois and the Mint director at the ceremony, or will the public behave as they did in Lincoln City, Ind., in May and skip the ceremony to stand in line to obtain the new cents for face value?

At this point, I would be fairly certain that standing in line will trump ceremony.

It doesn’t have to be that way. I have an idea.

Why not organize the event as a business might?

Give everybody who arrives on site a numbered ticket. The number will be the place in line that the holder gets when the cents become available from Chase Bank at the conclusion of the ceremonial event.

This would allow the public to witness the ceremony in a relaxed manner, steep themselves in the history that they are a part of and not worry about missing out on the coins.

People holding tickets can very easily sort themselves into an orderly line.
The downside, of course, is the public won’t have to stand in line for many hours, making friends of those people immediately ahead and behind them as the hobbyists did in Indiana.

I think they would probably be willing to give up that opportunity.