Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 41, Number 94, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 August 1909 — The Lincoln Fenny Is Now In Circulation. [ARTICLE]

The Lincoln Fenny Is Now In Circulation.

The new penny is here—the Lincoln centennial memorial coin which bears a stamp of the head of Abraham Lincoln instead of an Indian head. It is the first American penny without the face of a red m&n, and the issue is very limited, as the government ha% ceased coining them until a change can be made in the die. The coin contains the initials of the designer and objections having been made to this Imprint, It will not appear on the coins made in the future. These first pennies will probably command a premium in a few years. The new penny is devoid of milling and is, in many ways, patterned after the new gold pieces. The face of Abraham Lincoln which appears on the obverse side was reduced from a photograph in the possession of Charles Eliot Norton. The artist who designed the piece is a Russian, Victor D. Brenner, 27 years old, who climbed to a studio in Philadelphia from the street corner where he sold matches. With the smiling features of Lincoln appears the word “Liberty” the date, 1909, and the motto, “In God We Trust.” On the reverse side of the coin are two stems of wheat, the words “One Cent” in large letters and the Latin inscription “E Pluribus Unum.” Below the words “One Cent” is the stamp “United States of America.” The coin is very simple of design and clearly cut.