New designs … Coming soon to pennies near you!

In 2009, the United States Mint will mint and issue four different one-cent coins in recognition of the bicentennial of President Abraham Lincoln's birth and the 100th anniversary of the first issuance of the Lincoln cent. The reverse (tails) designs were unveiled September 22 at a ceremony held at the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. While the obverse (heads) will continue to bear the familiar likeness of President Lincoln currently on the one-cent coin, the reverse will reflect four different designs, each one representing a different aspect, or theme, of the life of President Lincoln.

The themes for the reverse designs represent the four major aspects of President Lincoln's life, as outlined in Title III of Public Law 109-145, the Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005:

• Birth and early childhood in Kentucky (1809-1816)
• Formative years in Indiana (1816-1830)
• Professional Life in Illinois (1830-1861)
• Presidency in Washington, DC (1861-1865)

The new one-cent reverse designs will be issued at approximately three-month intervals throughout 2009. The Secretary of the Treasury approved the designs for the coins after consultation with the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts, and after review by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee.

Reverse inscriptions will continue to include "United States of America," "E Pluribus Unum" and "One Cent." And the four 2009 Abraham Lincoln one-cent coins will maintain the same metal content (2.5% copper, balance zinc) and other specifications as the current one-cent coin.

These coins will be issued for circulation in quantities to meet the demands of commerce. In addition, the Secretary of the Treasury shall mint and issue numismatic one-cent coins in 2009 with the exact metallic content as contained in the 1909 one-cent coin (95% copper, 5% tin and zinc). These numismatic versions will be included in the United States Mint’s annual product offerings.

At the conclusion of the 2009 Lincoln Bicentennial One-Cent Program, the 2010 (and beyond) one-cent coin will feature a reverse design that will be emblematic of President Lincoln's preservation of the United States of America as a single and united country.

Read more about the one-cent coin, which has been part of the United States' circulating currency since 1793!