Gary's 20th Century Type Set
1c LINCOLN MEMORIAL (1959-1999)

Owner Comments:

With the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth in 1959 comes the introduction of the "Lincoln Memorial" reverse to the Lincoln Cent. This red MS-65, 1959-D, Lincoln Cent is a first year example of the “Lincoln Memorial” type that has continued for 50 years up through 2008. For 2009, a series of four separate reverse designs commemorates the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth and 100th anniversary of the Lincoln Cent. In 1973, due to the rising price of copper, the mint experimented with changing the composition of the Lincoln Cent from bronze to aluminum. Subsequently, in 1982, the mint settled on a copper plated zinc composition, due in part to aluminum’s potential failure of detection on x-rays of swallowed coins.