Coin and Paper Money Collecting/penny

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Expert: - 8/14/2008


Question
when was the lincoln head put on the  penny and what is the best way to get all the pennys  from that date

Answer
Joey,

The Lincoln cent started in 1909 -- next year will be the 100th anniversary.

There are a total of 4 different varieties of the Lincoln cent minted in 1909.  They were minted at both the main mint in Philadelphia and at the branch mint in San Francisco (these will have an "S" mintmark below the date).  They were also minted both with and without the designer's (Victor David Brenner) initials on the back side.

This gives you :
1909 (plain)
1909 VDB
1909-S
1909-S VDB

Both of the San Francisco mint varieties were minted in low quantities, so are quite expensive.  In fact, the 1909-S VDB is the key date (rarest) of the series and could easily cost over $1,000 for a middle grade specimen.

None of these 1909 coins can be found in circulation any more, so the only way to get them now is to buy them from a dealer or another collector.  If you look at the completed auctions on eBay, you can see prices that these coins sell for.

More info about the Lincoln cent can be found here :

http://www.coinfacts.com/small_cents/cents_lincoln_wheat_reverse.html

http://www.coinsite.com/CoinSite-PF/pparticles/01clinc.asp

I hope this helps,

Dan

Coin and Paper Money Collecting

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Dan Moore

Expertise

My strong familiarity with all U.S. Mint coins, extensive reference library, and close relationships with many other dealers allows me to identify just about any coin made in the USA. I receive regular updates to all the current price guides -- both wholesale & retail -- to provide accurate values. So, with a good description or pictures, I should be able to identify and value any U.S. coin you have.

Experience

I've been a coin dealer since the 1980's and a coin collector since the 1960's. I specialize in U.S. Silver Coins and have an active online website -- The Working Man's Rare Coins -- http://www.workingmancoins.com -- offering information and inventory in U.S. coins.

Organizations I belong to :
American Numismatic Association Member #187770
Michigan State Numismatic Society Member #8255
Florida United Numismatics Member #19710
Monroe Coin Club Treasurer
Lincoln Coin Club Board Member
WINS Member #14
CoinMasters Member #1814

Frequently Asked Questions :
I have created a Frequently Asked Questions page on my website, where you may be able to get an immediate answer to your question. You can find the page here :
http://www.workingmancoins.com/FAQ/index.htm


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