Hollis to give away 40,000 Lincoln cents

This article was originally printed in Numismatic News.
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To mark the 150th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln’s 1861 inauguration, 10,000 specially produced Lincoln cent kits were to be given away free by rare coin dealer Paul Hollis of Mandeville, La.

Each kit contains an illustrated brochure accompanied by four coins, one each of the commemorative Lincoln cent reverse designs issued for circulation by the in 2009.

“March 4 is the sesquicentennial of Lincoln’s first inauguration on the eve of the Civil War,” said Hollis. “The giveaway will total 40,000 Lincoln cents to raise public awareness of the anniversary and promote coin collecting.

“On March 1, I’ll be sending out 1,500 of the four-coin sets to randomly selected households in the New Orleans suburb of Mandeville. The remainder will be given away to civic groups, schools, coin clubs and individuals nationwide who want them while supplies last.”

Each set contains an example of the four Lincoln cent design themes produced for the 2009 Lincoln Bicentennial program that marked the 200th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth and the 100th anniversary of the Lincoln cent. The reverse side designs feature Lincoln’s birth and early childhood in Kentucky, his formative years in Indiana, his professional life in Illinois and his presidency in Washington, D.C.

“The full-color brochure was produced with advanced printing techniques that incorporated embossing – including the raised likeness of a 2009 Lincoln cent obverse on the mailing envelope – engraved imagery, foil printing, metallic inks and other coatings,” said Hollis.

The brochure’s text reads in part: “For more than a century, American’s pockets and purses have held a tangible tribute to that [Lincoln’s] legacy: the humble – but noble – Lincoln cent. Introduced in 1909, this penny now has been produced longer than any other coin in U.S. history – and in greater numbers than all other coins, from every country on earth and all of human history, put together.”

Ed Reiter, award-winning numismatic writer and editor, assisted with the creation of the text.

Two years ago, Hollis launched a project to give away one million of the Lincoln Bicentennial cents, including handing out hundreds of thousands during Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans.

For information on how to obtain the complimentary four-coin set and brochure, visit Paul Hollis Rare Coins & Precious Metals online at www.paulhollis.com.