Jan 24
In 2009, the U.S. Mint issued four different cent designs to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Lincoln Cent. These coins were to represent Lincoln's life, from the small cabin in Kentucky where he was born, to the iconic Capitol building during it's construction. Abe Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States, and helped to preserve the Union during the Civil War. Abe spent his childhood borrowing and reading books, trying to gain as much knowledge as he possibly could. Lincoln was assassinated at Ford's Theatre while watching 'Our American Cousin' by John Wilkes Booth. Abe Lincoln was the first American president to be assassinated.
The first of the new cent reverse designs was the modest log cabin that sat in the Kentucky frontier. The coin was released on the 16th president's birthday, February 12, 2009.
The second design reflects upon Lincoln's years in Indiana, showing Abe reading a book while taking a break from splitting logs, and was released on May 14, 2009.
The 3rd coin to be released in this series shows Lincoln standing in front of the Illinois State Capitol, located in Springfield, Illinois. Although a common misconception, Lincoln was never governor of Illinois. Lincoln was a member of the Illinois state legislation as well as the U.S. House of Representatives (representing Illinois). This particular cent piece was released on August 13, 2009.
The last, but certainly not least, coin to be released into this series shows the Capitol building with an uncompleted dome. This coin is to represent Lincoln's years in Washington, D.C., and was released on November 12, 2009, exactly 9 months from the 1st coin in the series being issued. The entire collection can be purchased in uncirculated condition fairly cheap, but you can also find all four coins in circulation without much trouble, but chances are, they will not have the luster of an uncirculated piece. Launch parties were held on the release date of each coin, where they could be purchased by collectors. Certain collector issued pieces have the same composition as the original 1909 cent; 95% copper and 5% tin/zinc.
On October 15, 2009, the U.S. mint released the Lincoln Chronicles set which was limited to only 50,000 pieces. The sets, priced at $55.95, were sold out within 30 hours.
Aside from being encased in a slip-covered leather-like tri-fold case, the Lincoln Chronicles set included:
In the aftermarkets such as eBay, prices on the special set were as high as $299.99 shortly after the U.S. Mint was sold out. In November 2009, the average eBay auction for the Lincoln Chronicles sets was between $120 and $150. A thread was started with a poll prompting CoinBraggers to guess what the going rate for these sets would be on eBay a year after the set's release. Only one person correctly guessed that the average price would stay in the $120 to $150 range. The other voters were equally split between predicting the rise or fall in value of the sets. You can view the recently sold sets here as well as view the current listed sets here.
The first of the new cent reverse designs was the modest log cabin that sat in the Kentucky frontier. The coin was released on the 16th president's birthday, February 12, 2009.
The second design reflects upon Lincoln's years in Indiana, showing Abe reading a book while taking a break from splitting logs, and was released on May 14, 2009.
The 3rd coin to be released in this series shows Lincoln standing in front of the Illinois State Capitol, located in Springfield, Illinois. Although a common misconception, Lincoln was never governor of Illinois. Lincoln was a member of the Illinois state legislation as well as the U.S. House of Representatives (representing Illinois). This particular cent piece was released on August 13, 2009.
The last, but certainly not least, coin to be released into this series shows the Capitol building with an uncompleted dome. This coin is to represent Lincoln's years in Washington, D.C., and was released on November 12, 2009, exactly 9 months from the 1st coin in the series being issued. The entire collection can be purchased in uncirculated condition fairly cheap, but you can also find all four coins in circulation without much trouble, but chances are, they will not have the luster of an uncirculated piece. Launch parties were held on the release date of each coin, where they could be purchased by collectors. Certain collector issued pieces have the same composition as the original 1909 cent; 95% copper and 5% tin/zinc.
On October 15, 2009, the U.S. mint released the Lincoln Chronicles set which was limited to only 50,000 pieces. The sets, priced at $55.95, were sold out within 30 hours.
Aside from being encased in a slip-covered leather-like tri-fold case, the Lincoln Chronicles set included:
- one 2009 Abraham Lincoln Commemorative Proof Silver Dollar
- four proof 95% copper one-cent coins featuring each of the four 2009 one-cent reverse designs
- a reproduction of a photograph of Abraham Lincoln
- a reproduction of the Gettysburg Address in Lincoln’s handwriting, and
- a Certificate of Authenticity.
In the aftermarkets such as eBay, prices on the special set were as high as $299.99 shortly after the U.S. Mint was sold out. In November 2009, the average eBay auction for the Lincoln Chronicles sets was between $120 and $150. A thread was started with a poll prompting CoinBraggers to guess what the going rate for these sets would be on eBay a year after the set's release. Only one person correctly guessed that the average price would stay in the $120 to $150 range. The other voters were equally split between predicting the rise or fall in value of the sets. You can view the recently sold sets here as well as view the current listed sets here.
