The new reverse design features the Union Shield, which is intended to be emblematic of President Lincoln’s preservation of the United States as a single and united country. The shield includes thirteen vertical stripes representing the original thirteen states, joined by a single horizontal bar at the top representing the federal government.

In mid-January 2010, the first 2010 Lincoln Cents began appearing in circulation. At this time, distribution was concentrated in Puerto Rico where some banks had rolls available and some coins were given out as change in general circulation.

The official launch ceremony was held on February 11, 2010 at 10:30 AM, about a month after the first coins were in the hands of collectors. The ceremony took place one day before the 201st anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth and was held in Springfield, Illinois at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum. Similar to the launch ceremonies held for the four different 2009 Lincoln Cent designs, attendees of the ceremony had the opportunity to exchange currency for rolls of the new cents.

The ceremony was attended by United States Mint Director Edmund Moy, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum and Library (ALPLM) acting executive director Jan Grimes, and the ALPLM curator Dr. James Cornelius. Approximately 400 members of the public were also in attendence. The coin exchange had exactly one million pennies (or 20,000) rolls available for exchange at face value.

Collectors are hoping for broader distribution through circulation following the launch ceremony. The US Mint has stated that the coins will be issued for circulation in quantities to meet the demands of commerce. A special numismatic two roll set is expected to be available for release in the spring.

The new reverse design features a union shield with a scroll draped across bearing the denomination “ONE CENT.” The shield consists of thirteen vertical stripes, joined by a single horizontal bar with the inscription “E PLURIBUS UNUM.” The additional inscription “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” appears above. This design was chosen to represent Lincoln’s preservation of the United States as a single and united country. It was designed by US Mint Artistic Infusion Program Associate Designer Lyndall Bass and engraved by US Mint Sculptor-Engraver Joseph Menna.

The union shield dates back to the 1780s and was used widely during the civil war. It represents the thirteen original states joined in a single compact union to support the federal government. The union shield appears throughout the halls of the U.S. Capitol Building on frescoes by Constantino Brumidi, the building’s artist during Lincoln’s Presidency.

The new reverse design will be paired with a modern modified version of the original portrait of Lincoln designed by Victor D. Brenner. The new designs will be used starting with the 2010 Lincoln Penny and will continue to be used into the foreseeable future.

The 2010 Lincoln Cent design selection was made by the United States Secretary of the Treasury after review and input from the United States Mint, Commission of Fine Arts, and the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee.

These thirteen bound wheat stalks were supposed to represent the thirteen original colonies of the United States. They were bound together in strength, with the unity creating a stronger bundle than any of the stalks individually. The design also paid homage to the original reverse design of the Lincoln Cent known as the “Wheat Ears” reverse, used from 1909 to 1958.

The Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) was impressed with this design which it said represented the unity of the nation and worked well for the scale of the penny. The CFA selected LP-18 as the official recommendation for the 2010 Lincoln Penny reverse design.

Following their design, it came to light that a very similar representation had been used on German coins circulating during the 1920’s and 1930’s. The bound wheat stalks had also been used as a symbol of socialism and communism.

Shortly after the CFA meeting, LP-18 was removed from consideration for the reverse design of the 2010 Lincoln Cent. The US Mint released a statement, “The United States Mint ultimately decided to remove design LP-18 from consideration after determining that it was inappropriately similar to a 1920s era German pfennig.” The US Mint further explained that Mint Director Edmund Moy wanted “American designs and icons of the nation’s coins, especially for circulating coins like the cent.”

In a subsequent meeting, the CFA endorsed LP-10, which displays a modernistic interpretation of a 34 star flag.

2010 Lincoln Cent Design Proposal LP-18 was the final design originally proposed. It revisits the concept of wheat ears, which had been used on the original Lincoln Cent reverse from 1909 to 1958. Thirteen wheat stalks are shown bound together with the inscription “One Nation”. The denomination is also displayed as “1c” rather than being spelled out. Although the Commission of Fine Arts chose this as their design recommendation, it was later removed from consideration due to similarities with German coins issued during the 1920’s and 1930’s.

More information on the 2010 Lincoln Cent Wheat Stalks Reverse.

< LP-17 Previous Design

View all 2010 Lincoln Cent Design Proposals

2010 Lincoln Cent Design Proposal LP-17 is the final design which includes an eagle. In this version, the central focus is an eagle in flight, clutching arrows and an olive branch. The eagle appears relatively small in size, since the inscriptions around the outer edges take up so much space. While this design has its merits, it may not be suited to the small canvas of the cent.

< LP-16 Previous Design | Next Design LP-18 >

View all 2010 Lincoln Cent Design Proposals

2010 Lincoln Cent Design Proposal LP-16 is the second of three designs which includes an eagle. In this version the eagle is less of a focus, with attention split between the eagle, an inscribed ribbon, and a shield. The inscription “One Country One Destiny” is used, which makes for a particularly wordy reverse when added to the other required inscriptions. Once again something seems wrong with the eagle’s body. Some have remarked that it looks like the eagle has been crossed with a snake to create some kind of new mythological creature.

< LP-15 Previous Design | Next Design LP-17 >

View all 2010 Lincoln Cent Design Proposals

2010 Lincoln Cent Design Proposal LP-15 is the first of three designs which features an eagle. The eagle is in the center of the design with the main inscriptions above and below. The eagle carries a shield and a scroll appears in the background with “E Pluribus Unum”. Something appears anatomically amiss with the eagle. Some have commented that the eagle looks more like a dove with the head of an eagle.

< LP-14 Previous Design | Next Design LP-16 >

View all 2010 Lincoln Cent Design Proposals

2010 Lincoln Cent Design Proposal LP-14 a third design incorporating a shield. This is the same classical shield which appears in LP-13, but it is smaller in size with inscriptions rearranged. Notably, this is one of two proposed designs which abbreviates the denomination as “1c” rather than spelling out “One Cent”.

< LP-13 Previous Design | Next Design LP-15 >

View all 2010 Lincoln Cent Design Proposals

2010 Lincoln Cent Design Proposal LP-13 is a second design featuring a shield. The design of the shield is more classical. The motto “E Pluribus Unum is on the shield, allowing for fuller design elements. The denomination is included on a scroll in the foreground of the shield. This design was recommended by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee. If selected as the final design, it would mark an interesting change of pace from most modern designs which have focused on eagle and buildings.

< LP-12 Previous Design | Next Design LP-14 >

View all 2010 Lincoln Cent Design Proposals

2010 Lincoln Cent Design Proposal LP-12 is one of the designs featuring a shield. In this proposed design, the main mottoes appearabove and below the shield, with the denomination “One Cent” split by the shield. A sword and feather appear in front of the shield. The size of the elements seems a bit odd, either the sword is tiny or the feather is enormous.

< LP-11 Previous Design | Next Design LP-13 >

View all 2010 Lincoln Cent Design Proposals