Lincoln Centennial Collection

The Lincoln Penny was first minted in 1909 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth. It was the first circulating coin to feature a real person instead of Lady Liberty. This collection features the three 'first' coins in the Lincoln Penny's 100 year history. The 1909 coin was the first-ever Lincoln Penny. The obverse was a portrait of Lincoln, while the reverse was the legendary 'wheat ears' design. The reverse design changed in 1959 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Lincoln's birth. The 1959 coin was the first to show the Lincoln Memorial design.  The obverse of the 1959 coin retained the original Lincoln portrait. To commemorate the 200th anniversary of Lincoln's birth and the 100th anniversary of the Lincoln Penny, special commemorative coins will be issued in 2009. The first 2009 coin honors Lincoln's birth in a log cabin in Kentucky in 1809. This was the first commemorative Penny in history. It was issued for only about 12 weeks in early 2009. The original Lincoln portrait was retained on the obverse, making this the first U.S. coin design to be used for 100 years.Coins come in a custom display wallet with a Certificate of Authenticity.