Vic's Picks
1c LINCOLN, WHEAT REVERSE 1909 V.D.B.


Obverse
Enlarge  
Reverse
Enlarge  

Coin Details

  

Set Details
Origin/Country:
Design Description:
Item Description:
Grade: PCGS MS 65 RD
Owner: EZ_E
 
Winning Set: Vic's Picks
Date Added: 6/16/2006
Research: Currently not available

Owner's Description

From ANR. I hope to eventually upgrade to a PCGS MS66 Red.<br /><br />***********************************<br />1909 V.D.B. ONE CENT<br />***********************************<br /><br /><br />Mintage:<br />Circulation strikes: 27,995,000<br />Proofs: 1,194<br /><br />Designer: Victor David Brenner<br /><br />Diameter: 19 millimeters<br /><br />Metal content:<br />Copper - 95%<br />Tin and Zinc - 5%<br /><br />Weight: 48 grains (3.11 grams)<br /><br />Edge: Plain<br /><br />The Lincoln Cent debuted in 1909, replacing the fifty year old Indian Head Cent design. No other American coin design comes close to the 93 year life span of the Lincoln Cent. In just a few years from now, the design will celebrate its 100th anniversary. However, as enduring as the Lincoln Cent might be, it came about only as the result of an interesting set of circumstances.<br /><br />In 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt commissioned the famous American sculptor and artist, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, to prepare designs for a new Small Cent. Initially, Saint-Gaudens' design for the front of the coin featured a flying eagle motif similar to James Barton Longacre's designs on the Small Cents of 1856-1858. However, this design was scrapped in favor of a head of Victory in profile wearing an Indian headdress. Saint-Gaudens and Roosevelt liked this design so much that they used it on the 1907 $10 instead of on the Cent. Saint-Gaudens died of cancer before making any more progress on the Cent design and it was not until 1909 that Victor David Brenner made the famous bust of Lincoln with which we are all so familiar today. Lincoln was chosen as the subject for the new Cent since 1909 was the centennial of his birth. Until the appearance of Brenner's design, no person (living or dead) had ever appeared on a coin made for general circulation (however, this precedent had already been established on a few commemorative coins).<br /><br />The earliest versions of the Lincoln Cent featured Brenner's initials (V.D.B.) near the bottom of the back of the coin. Apparently, such a prominent display was considered offensive, and the initials were removed later in 1909. In 1918, the initials re-appeared, this time hidden on the truncation of Lincoln's bust.<br /><br />The Lincoln Cent, America’s most enduring design type, debuted in 1909. Created by Victor David Brenner, the new coin featured a portrait of Abraham Lincoln on the front and two “ears” of wheat on the back. Although the coin was an immediate success, complaints were raised about the presence of Brenner’s initials (V.D.B.) on the back of the coin. As a result, new dies were made without the initials, creating two varieties for the year. Although Brenner’s initials re-appeared in 1918 (hidden at the base of Lincoln’s bust), their prominence on the 1909-VDB Cent makes this an extremely popular variety.

To follow or send a message to this user,
please log in