The Lincoln Wheat Cent is also known as the Wheat Penny. It was produced from 1909 to 1958.
President Theodore Roosevelt was an artwork lover and felt that the coins in America paled to the inventive renditions of different nations. The wheat penny was designed by Victor David Brenner and featured a portrait of Abraham Lincoln on the entrance with two stalks of wheat on the again. Initially, Victor David Brenner’s initials had been positioned on the wheat penny however public outcry motivated the U. S. Mint to take away them. Wheat pennies with the designer’s initials are thought-about extra precious and solely 484,000 had been produced. Even poor-quality 1909-S VDB wheat pennies carry hundreds of dollars. The worth of wheat pennies drastically will increase whether it is in mint situation and may deliver as a lot as $6000 to $12,000 dollars. One other wheat penny of nice worth is the 1914-D. Roughly 1.2 million was minted. They’ve been documented to be auctioned for as a lot as $16,000 in the event that they had been uncirculated.
A Temporary Historical past concerning the Wheat Penny
It was thought-about unacceptable in America to put a picture of an actual particular person, dwelling or lifeless, on circulating coins. The one illustration of an individual at the moment was Miss Liberty or the Statue of Liberty. Nevertheless, slain president Abraham Lincoln was a revered icon and after President Roosevelt noticed Victor David Brenner’s bronze rendition of Abraham Lincoln, he shaped the thought of paying tribute to him by representing his picture on the Wheat Penny.
Throughout the time of WWII, copper was thought-about a significant materials. In response to discovering a cloth to switch copper, the US Mint started making steel pennies with zinc coating in 1943. The cash rusted and the zinc plating grew to become worn in a short time. The next yr, copper was once more used to make wheat pennies with recycled gun shell casings. The choice to make use of postwar army recycled supplies was principally the US Governments means of conserving restricted metal resources.
In 1955, the US Mint made a uncommon minting error that resulted in roughly 20,000 to 24,000 wheat pennies being double minted. Although the error was found earlier than these wheat pennies had been launched, it was determined to launch anyway with the hopes that the error wouldn’t be found. The publicity that the error generated started an enormous curiosity in coin gathering and particularly these with die errors.
In 1959, in honor of the 100th anniversary of the start of Abraham Lincoln’s, the Lincoln Memorial Wheat Penny was redesigned by Frank Gasparro. His design changed the 2 wheat stalks on the again with a portrait of the Lincoln Memorial.
In 1982, the Mint transitioned from totally different alloy varieties. Right now, there ought to have been 4 totally different Lincoln Cent varieties. Nevertheless the Mint made a uncommon die change in 1982 making “Giant Date and Small Date” varieties. In any case adjustments had been made, there have been seven main circulation varieties of the 1982 Lincoln Memorial Penny.
Wheat Pennies At this time
Most wheat pennies are held in non-public collections and are an ordinary collectible coin within the US. It has been rumored that the US Mint is contemplating retiring the Lincoln Cent after 100 years in circulation as a result of the price to make them is bigger than their worth.
