Four new Lincoln cent reverse designs for 2009 were unveiled Sept. 22 on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., by Mint Director Ed Moy and Abraham Lincoln presenter Jim Rubin.
“These designs represent the first change in the Lincoln cent in half a century,” Moy said. “These coins are a tribute to one of our greatest Presidents whose legacy has had a lasting impact on our country. He believed all men were created equal and his life was a model for accomplishing the American dream through honesty, integrity, loyalty and a lifetime of education.”
Ruben unveiled the designs set up on easels on the Memorial’s steps.
The first design showing a log cabin represents Lincoln’s birth in the state of Kentucky.
The second features Lincoln the rail splitter sitting on a log reading to mark his early life in Indiana.
The third design shows him as a young professional in Springfield, Ill., standing with the Old State Capitol behind him.
Lincoln is not on the fourth design. The reverse honoring his Presidency shows the Capitol dome in Washington, D.C., being constructed even as the Civil War raged.
The first reverse will be released on Lincoln’s birthday, Feb. 12, 2009. The others will follow at three-month intervals.
After 2009, the cent’s reverse will feature a design that is emblematic of President Lincoln’s preservation of the United States as a single and united country. The obverse will continue to carry the Victor D. Brenner likeness.
Joining Moy and Rubin for the ceremony were Harold Holzer, co-chairman of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, and Eileen Mackevich, who is the commission’s executive director.
