Making Cents of My Life - A Master Set
1961

Owner Comments:

Coin #004 in the master set

Acquired: PF66RD 21 Dec 09
Upgrade: 14 Sep 12

THE COIN: Diameter: 19.05 mm Thickness: 1.55 mm Weight: 3.11 gms Composition: 95.0% Cu, 5.0% Sn and Zn Edge: Plain Obverse Designed by Victor D. Brenner (Based on a photo by Mathew Brady) Reverse Designed by Frank Gasparro Mintage Availability: Proof Sets: 3,028,244 Total Population: 3,028,244 No NCG graded 1961 Lincoln Memorial Proof Cents of any variety are PF70. NCG has graded only 66 1961 Lincoln Memorial Proof Cents that have been classified as PFUC. No PCGS graded 1961 Lincoln Memorial Proof Cents of any variety are PF70. PCGS has only 75 1961 Lincoln Memorial Proof Cents that have been classified as PFDC. THE STORY: 1961 John F. Kennedy became the President of the United States. Lyndon B. Johnson became the Vice President of the United States. Dag Hammarskjold of Sweden won the 1961 Nobel Peace Prize. I reached my terrible twos. Mom was pregnant with my younger of two sisters. My parents realized that the apartment they were living in was no longer big enough for their growing family and began looking to buy a house. The nation was filled with hope and inspiration as President Kennedy challenged a new generation of Americans to “Ask not what your country could do for you but what you could do for your country.” The fledging space program got a huge psychological boost when President Kennedy also challenged the nation to put a man on the moon before the end of the decade. The world was not all a bed of roses though. The US broke off relations with Cuba and the newly established Castro regime and the Bay of Pigs Invasion was a disastrous failure. The communist regime erected the Berlin Wall escalating the tensions of the Cold War and America had 2,000 Military Advisors in South Vietnam. The treat of nuclear war hung heavy on the mind of the nation further exacerbated by the USSR successfully testing a 50-megaton nuclear bomb. In the everyday life of Americans, the nation buzzed as two New York Yankee sluggers, Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris, chasing Babe Ruth’s home run record. Mantle would suffer a late season-ending injury and Maris would ultimately break Ruth’s record finishing the season with 61 homeruns. Sadly, this incredible feat and subsequent record would be marred for years with the discussion over the difference in the number of games in the season between Ruth and Maris. West Side Story was a smashing success winning the Oscar in 1961 on its way to becoming a true American screen classic. The world lost Ernest Hemmingway (writer), Gail Russell (actress), Chico Marx (actor), Carl Jung (psychologist) and Ty Cobb (baseball player) in 1961. The New York Yankees won the World Series defeating the Cincinnati Reds, 4 games to 1. The Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup defeating the Detroit Red Wings, 4 games to 2. The Boston Celtics beat the St. Louis Hawks 4 games to 1 for the NBA Championship. The Super Bowl had not been established yet. The University of Cincinnati defeated Ohio State University in overtime to win the NCAA basketball Championship