1909-S VDB Lincoln Cent

Popular and valuable U.S. one-cent coin July 2022 July 2022 United States 1909-S VDB Lincoln Cent 0.01 U.S. dollar 3.11 0.750 19.05 Plain 95% copper 2.5% tin 2.5% zinc 1909 File:1909-S VDB Lincoln cent obverse.jpg Abraham Lincoln Victor David Brenner 1909 1909-S VDB Lincoln cent reverse.jpg Wheat heads Victor David Brenner 1909 The 1909-S VDB Lincoln Cent is a low-mintage coin of the United States dollar. It is a key date variety of the one-cent coin produced by the United States Mint in San Francisco in 1909."Key date" is a scarce date required to complete a collection, usually more difficult to find and afford. Varieties are fine details of a coin's design which set it apart from the normal issue. Varieties arise as a result of intended or unintended alterations to the basic coin design that occur during the die production stage. The Lincoln cent replaced the Indian Head cent and was the first everyday U.S. coin to feature a specific real person. It was immediately met with controversy over the inclusion of the initials of the sculptor who designed the coin, Victor David Brenner, on the reverse. US President Theodore Roosevelt ordered the new design with US President Abraham Lincoln's head to honor Lincoln as the savior of the Union. The coins were to be released on the 100th anniversary of Lincoln's birth, February 12, 1909. The coin was delayed to add the words "In God We Trust" and eventually released August 2, 1909. Within days of the coin's release, it was discontinued (August 6, 1909) so that Brenner's initials (VDB) could be removed from the dies. The two mints charged with striking the Lincoln cent were the Philadelphia Mint (no mint mark) and the San Francisco Mint (mint mark S). The Philadelphia Mint produced 27,995,000 VDB pennies, but the San Francisco Mint produced only 484,000, which made this variety the rarest of the series. When Americans heard that the coin was being discontinued, they waited in long lines to get the pennies. People assumed that they would become valuable as souvenirs. In many cities throughout the United States, people went to get quantities of pennies that they could resell. In New York City, police were called in to control the people. History Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th U.S. president, thought American coins were common and uninspiring. He had the opportunity to pose for a portrait with a young Lithuanian-born Jewish artist, Victor David Brenner. The artist had become one of the nation's premier medalists. Roosevelt had learned of Brenner's talents in a settlement house on New York City's Lower East Side and was immediately impressed with a Bas-Relief that Brenner had made of Abraham Lincoln, based on a Mathew Brady photograph. Roosevelt revered Abraham Lincoln as the savior of the Union and the greatest Republican president. He ordered the new Lincoln cent to be based on Brenner's work and to be released just in time to commemorate Lincoln's 100th birthday in 1909. The likeness of President Lincoln on the obverse of the coin is an adaptation of a plaque Brenner created several years earlier which had come to the attention of President Roosevelt in New York. The Lincoln penny was the first everyday American coin to feature an actual person. On January 10, 1909, The Spokesman-Review reported that soon a new design for the penny would be submitted by a "sculptor of prominence". They speculated that the "old-fashioned Indian headdress will probably not be used on the penny." The new pennies were not issued in June when they were expected because the sculptor Victor David Brenner had not put the words "In God We Trust" above the Lincoln head. President William Howard Taft, who assumed office in March 1909, wanted the words to appear on the coin's obverse.Bowers, Q. David (2018). A Guide Book of Lincoln Cents (3rd ed.). Pelham, AL. 0-7948-4634-3. 1052869802. This meant that the dies and pennies were delayed until August 1909. The coin was finally released to the public on August 2, 1909, with much fanfare. People got in long lines and waited to get the pennies. Policemen on horseback were called in to control the people. Because of the penny's portrayal of Lincoln many Black-Americans considered it "emancipation money". Controversy thumb|upright=1.5|The public lines up to buy Lincoln cents outside the Sub-Treasury building, New York City, August 2, 1909. On August 6, 1909, The Washington Post proclaimed, "V.D.B. Cent Doomed". The initials and their placement on the coin met with displeasure from the Secretary of the Treasury Franklin MacVeagh who had either not seen the coin's design or did not look at it closely before minting began.Bowers Q. David A Guide Book of Lincoln Cents 3rd 2018 978-0-7948-4634-3 Pelham, AL 23–29 1052869802 The artist (Brenner) told The Washington Post that he would write to the Secretary MacVeagh and demand an explanation. He stated that when the design was accepted, the first dies actually had his full name. On August 6, 1909, The Evening Chronicle in Charlotte, North Carolina, reported that the pennies would be withdrawn and "Treasury Department has already started collectors on the rounds to gather up the pennies and withdraw them from circulation". They also reported that a "limited number" of the pennies were struck in Philadelphia and no more would be made.The Philadelphia Mint did not use a mint mark on the pennies it produced, while the San Francisco Mint used an "S" for its mint mark.Mint Marks June 3, 2016 United States Mint https://www.usmint.gov/learn/collecting-basics/mint-marks 2023-03-19 January 17, 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220117235904/https://www.usmint.gov/learn/collecting-basics/mint-marks live Speculation After the news about the Lincoln penny change got out on August 5, 1909, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that there was a frenzy in New York as people went to get quantities of pennies that they could save to resell. The rumor was that the penny would be withdrawn. The first to rush for the coins were the newsboys. Soon the pennies were being resold for 25 cents. On August 12, the Alabama Times of Montgomery, Alabama, said there was a high demand for the pennies after people realized that the penny may be withdrawn from circulation. The Lowery Bank was the only bank which was supplied with the pennies and they distributed all of them to a long line of people. News soon reached New York that the mint still had millions of the pennies and they would not withdraw the design. The new information caused the price to go from "25 cents to 20¢, then 15¢, then 10¢, 5¢, then two for 5¢, then par." On August 11, 1909, W. Lewis and Company took out a large advertisement in The Champaign Daily in Champaign, Illinois, announcing that they had 1000 of the new Lincoln pennies which were "particularly highly prized as pocket pieces and souvenirs" and they would be giving them away free with purchases. On August 13, in York, Pennsylvania, the Luria Rag company took out an advertisement in The York Dispatch stating that they would give Lincoln pennies to customers who purchased rubber shoes or boots for ten days. On August 14, an advertiser in the Evansville Courier in Evansville, Indiana, stated, "Inasmuch as these pennies may be withdrawn from circulation they would at once become valuable as souvenirs. In the September 24, 1909, Pottsville Daily Republican in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, one establishment took out an advertisement announcing that customers would get new pennies for shopping with them. Even though more than 28 million of the coins had been struck, one advertiser in Knoxville, Tennessee, stated that it would be a rare and odd coin. On November 2, 1909, the US Treasury announced that all of the V.D.B. Lincoln coins had passed into public hands. Resolution Brenner's initials were removed from the dies and there was a discussion about using the letter B for the artist's last name. The letter B was already used on silver coins by Charles E. Barber who was the mint's chief engraver so the idea of adding a "B" was rejected. It was not until 1918, when Brenner's initials returned to the coin (this time they were on the obverse) as small letters below Lincoln's shoulder. Charles Barber died in 1917 and there is speculation that he was the one who had opposed the Brenner initials on the coin. There was also a new Treasury Secretary William Gibbs McAdoo (1913) and he was considered more progressive than the previous secretary Franklin MacVeagh. Collecting The Lincoln cent or Lincoln penny is also colloquially referred to as a wheat penny because the reverse features two wheat heads. The 1909 penny weighs 3.11 g oz and has a 19 mm in diameter with a plain edge. The composition of the penny is bronze. Its metal composition is 95% copper, 2.5% tin and 2.5% zinc. Joshua McMorrow-Hernandez, writing for Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS), stated that the 1909-S VDB Lincoln Cent has long been considered "The Holy Grail" in penny collecting, and collectors have stated that the "1909-S VDB may always be the king of Lincoln Cents". The 1909-S VDB Lincoln cent is considered to be a key date for the Lincoln cent series due to its low mintage of only 484,000. The US Mint also produced 27,995,000 1909 (no mint mark) Lincoln pennies at its Philadelphia facility. In 2019, Heritage Auctions sold a 1909-S VDB cent graded at MS67 (i.e. mint condition) for $50,400. Also writing for Coinage Magazine he stated "... it's hard to deny that the 1909-S VDB Lincoln cent is one of most important coins in American numismatics". Though it is not the lowest mintage or the most expensive of the series, it serves as an important and well-known key-date. The 1909-S VDB became instantly collectable on the news of its cancellation, and more than 100 years later, it is still considered a numismatic rarity. The authors of the 2005 book 100 Greatest U.S. Coins have ranked the 1909 S as the 14th most collectible U.S. coin.Garrett Jeff Zguth zron 100 Greatest U.S. Coins 2005 Whitman Publishing 31 2nd See also Coin collecting Numismatics Lincoln cent mintage figures Notes References Zielke Corinne $50,400 Buys 1909-S VDB Cent https://www.numismaticnews.net/world-coins/50400-buys-1909-s-vdb-cent 15 June 2022 Numismatic News 16 June 2019 16 May 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210516095209/https://www.numismaticnews.net/world-coins/50400-buys-1909-s-vdb-cent live V.D.B. Cent Doomed https://www.newspapers.com/clip/59858817/1909-vdb-lincoln-cent/ 15 June 2022 Washington Post 6 August 1909 15 June 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220615010045/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/59858817/1909-vdb-lincoln-cent/ live Historic Origins and Values of the Wheat Penny: Bullion Shark https://coinweek.com/us-coins/historic-origins-and-values-of-the-wheat-penny-bullion-shark/ 15 June 2022 Coin Week 1 September 2020 9 December 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20211209194656/https://coinweek.com/us-coins/historic-origins-and-values-of-the-wheat-penny-bullion-shark/ live Humble copper reaches West https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103783131/new-penny-change/ 15 June 2022 The Spokesman-Review 10 January 1909 15 June 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220615013105/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103783131/new-penny-change/ live "In God We Trust" On Cent https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103783740/new-lincoln-penny-design/ 15 June 2022 The Daily Republican 17 June 1909 15 June 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220615014009/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103783740/new-lincoln-penny-design/ live Newsboys Raid Wall Street by Cornering Coins https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103784222/frenzy-for-lincoln-pennies/ 15 June 2022 St. Louis Post-Dispatch 5 August 1909 15 June 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220615020638/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103784222/frenzy-for-lincoln-pennies/ live https://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/11/opinion/11margolick.html The New York Times Penny Foolish David Margolick 11 February 2007 22 May 2010 2 April 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190402225343/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/11/opinion/11margolick.html live New Lincoln Pennies https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103782698/everyone-gets-a-new-lincoln-penny/ 15 June 2022 Republican and Herald 24 September 1909 15 June 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220615021228/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103782698/everyone-gets-a-new-lincoln-penny/ live New Lincoln Pennies Given Away https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103782818/everyone-gets-a-penny/ 15 June 2022 The York Dispatch 13 August 1909 15 June 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220615021830/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103782818/everyone-gets-a-penny/ live 1000 New Lincoln Pennies to Be Given Away Friday https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103782764/everyone-gets-a-penny/ 15 June 2022 The Champaign Daily Gazette 11 August 1909 15 June 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220615022828/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103782764/everyone-gets-a-penny/ live A Lincoln Penny For You https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103788748/rare-and-off-lincoln-penny/ 15 June 2022 Knoxville Sentinel 9 October 1909 15 June 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220615031454/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103788748/rare-and-off-lincoln-penny/ live Lincoln Pennies https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103788977/at-one-become-valuable-lincoln-penny/ 15 June 2022 Evansville Courier and Press 14 August 1909 15 June 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220615031506/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103788977/at-one-become-valuable-lincoln-penny/ live 2,000 Pennies Paid Out Friday in Atlanta https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103789342/lined-up-to-get-the-pennies/ 15 June 2022 Alabama Times 12 August 1909 15 June 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220615032344/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103789342/lined-up-to-get-the-pennies/ live Lincoln Pennies to be Withdrawn https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103789880/newspaper-adds-rumors-to-the-lincoln/ 15 June 2022 The Evening Chronicle 6 August 1909 15 June 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220615033626/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103789880/newspaper-adds-rumors-to-the-lincoln/ live Washington https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103790644/november-all-lincoln-pennies-distributed/ 15 June 2022 The Independent-Record 2 November 1909 15 June 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220615034901/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103790644/november-all-lincoln-pennies-distributed/ live 1909 Lincoln V.D.B. Cent http://www.coinnews.net/cents/1909-lincoln-v-d-b-cent/#:~:text=Despite%20only%20being%20struck%20for,at%20its%20San%20Francisco%20facility. Coin News CoinNews Media Group LLC 15 June 2022 18 February 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200218004643/http://www.coinnews.net/cents/1909-lincoln-v-d-b-cent/#:~:text=Despite%20only%20being%20struck%20for,at%20its%20San%20Francisco%20facility. live McMorrow-Hernandez Joshua The 1926-S Lincoln Cent Is Rarer Than The 1909-S VDB? Let's Explain… https://www.pcgs.com/news/1926s-lincoln-cent-is-rarer-than-1909-s-vdb 15 June 2022 PCGS 31 August 2021 8 September 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210908125807/https://www.pcgs.com/news/1926s-lincoln-cent-is-rarer-than-1909-s-vdb live VDB initials quietly return in 1918 https://www.numismaticnews.net/world-coins/vdb-initials-quietly-return-in-1918 Numismatic News 17 June 2022 13 May 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210513194235/https://www.numismaticnews.net/world-coins/vdb-initials-quietly-return-in-1918 live McMorrow-Hernandez Joshua COINage Profile: 1909-S VDB Lincoln Cent https://www.coinagemag.com/coinage-profile-1909-s-vdb-lincoln-cent/ 17 June 2022 Coinage Magazine 10 September 2020 24 November 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20211124140114/https://www.coinagemag.com/coinage-profile-1909-s-vdb-lincoln-cent/ live Coin Term Glossary https://www.usmint.gov/learn/collecting-basics/glossary 2022-07-13 usmint.gov June 3, 2016 July 13, 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220713045601/https://www.usmint.gov/learn/collecting-basics/glossary live 1909 Lincoln 1C MS https://www.ngccoin.com/coin-explorer/united-states/cents/lincoln-cents-wheat-reverse-1909-1958/12429/1909-lincoln-1c-ms/ NGC Coin Numismatic Guaranty Company 15 March 2023 March 15, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230315213813/https://www.ngccoin.com/coin-explorer/united-states/cents/lincoln-cents-wheat-reverse-1909-1958/12429/1909-lincoln-1c-ms/ live Composition and Specifications https://lincolncents.net/lincoln-cent-specifications/ Lincoln Cents August 30, 2009 My Coin Guides 15 March 2023 March 27, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230327071447/https://lincolncents.net/lincoln-cent-specifications/ live External links Key Date Coin Guides Money Numismatics United States Category:1909 introductions Category:Coins of the United States Category:One-cent coins of the United States