The eight different types of Lincoln Pennies: seven different designs and the one-year-only 1943 steel coin. The Lincoln Penny was first minted in 1909 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth. The obverse of all coins features a portrait of Lincoln by sculptor Victor D. Brenner. It was the first circulating U.S. coin to feature a real person instead of Lady Liberty. The 2009 coins were the first commemorative Pennies, celebrating the 200th anniversary of Lincoln's birth. The 2010 coin was the first with the permanent new reverse design of the Union Shield.