In the US, every coin from the US Mint is eligible for a redesign after 25-Years. The Indian Head Cent was positioned into circulation in 1859 and after 50 years, it was due for a substitute. World well-known designer Augustus Saint-Gaudens was charged with the redesign of all coins of the Mint, together with the Cent. He was chosen partly due to his different artwork work depicting stunning god and goddess-like imagery. Saint-Gaudens mandate, straight from President Roosevelt himself, was to seize the majestic great thing about the coinage of Greece, which Roosevelt, thought was far superior to the present collection supplied by the Mint.
Saint-Gaudens designed two cash earlier than his premature demise, the Gold Double Eagle and the Gold Indian Head Eagle. After he handed, his substitute designer, Victor David Brenner (“VDB”) was chosen due to his different work for Roosevelt. Brenner had designed the Bronze Bust of President Lincoln, the likeness of which is similar because the one finally used on the brand new cent.
On August 2, 1909 the Brenner design was put into circulation. The coin depicted Lincoln’s profile on the entrance (aka the obverse) and two wheat shafts on the again (reverse). The Artists initials, “VDB” had been prominently displayed on the reverse on the backside, between the 2 shafts of wheat.
The coin was a raging success. Folks had been speeding to banks to get their copies of the “VDB” cents. The provision was depleted in only a few days and other people have been buying and selling the VDB Cent at a fee of two per nickel on the street. This stage of curiosity is what the US Mint hopes for, because it helps make sure the continued curiosity within the coin for years to return. There was just one small drawback…
Apparently the Chief Secretary of the Treasury Franklin MacVeagh, had by no means really take time to check the coin intimately. The story goes that MacVeagh, upon seeing the coin, was outraged that the artist’s initials “have been so large.” They had been a lot bigger than different initials on different cash of the day. Three days into circulation, MacVeagh ordered the speedy halt of manufacturing and ordered Victor David Brenner’s “VDB” initials eliminated all collectively, just a few days later the coin went again into manufacturing, this time with none recognition what-so-ever of the coin’s designer. This motion despatched the VDB coin’s curiosity into the stratosphere. Lower than 500,000 1909-S VDBs have been produced on the San Francisco Mint. This coin is without doubt one of the most wanted at present.
As for Brenner, he understandably expressed outrage. He went on a writing marketing campaign that turned very public. Sadly for him (and luckily for the numismatic neighborhood), his initials weren’t restore till Chief Engraver (and chief critic of Brenner) Charles Barber’s dying in 1917. The following time his initials had been positioned on the coin was in 1918, after they have been placed on the Lincoln’s shoulder on the obverse in tiny letters. That is the place it stays at the moment.
