Previously, I have written of the Lincoln Wheat Cents from 1909 to 1958. Now, I will talk about the next 50 years of Lincoln Memorial Cents. Here we go.
Brief History Of Lincoln Memorial Cents
Before 1958 comes to a close, the Mint decides that the reverse of the Lincoln Cent will change in 1959. They will enter circulation on February 12, 1959, the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth. The reverse of the cent would have the Lincoln Memorial by Frank Gasparro. Supposedly, Gasparro never visits the Lincoln Memorial but introduces to the country Lincoln Memorial Cents.
In 1960, the mint produces small and large date cents in Philadelphia and Denver. The ‘6’ and ‘0’ are smaller which results in possibly filling in those numbers. So, the mint decides to make the date larger, making the smaller dates rarer, especially in Philadelphia. The easiest way to distinguish either variety is looking at the ‘6’. In 1970, San Francisco has small and large date varieties.
The Mint releases Lincoln Memorial Cents from 1959 to 2008. 2009 is the 200th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth and the mint releases 4 different reverses representing 4 different eras of Lincoln’s life. In 2010, the reverse becomes a shield.
From Copper To Zinc
With the rising price of copper during the 1970s, there is thought of changing the cent’s composition, In 1973, there is consideration to make aluminum pennies. There are over a million aluminum cents that are almost released in 1974, but these cents can jam vending machines. So, no there will be no aluminum cents. After 1981, the cents will be made of 97.5% zinc and 2.5% copper.
1982 have both copper and zinc cents released, but by 1983, all of the cents are zinc. Some of the early zinc cents come from West Point, but with no mint mark are undistinguishable with ones from Philadelphia. As in 1960, there are large and small dates for copper and zinc cents in Philadelphia and Denver for 1982. One con of the zinc cents is they lose their luster quicker than the copper cents.
How Easy Is It To Collect Lincoln Memorial Cents?
There are no real key dates since billions of cents are in circulation each year. The small dates are probably the closest to be key dates. Is it too easy to collect these coins or will you consider collecting Lincoln Memorial Cents?