How to Identify the Lincoln Bicentennial Cent (2009)

What It Is

The Lincoln Bicentennial Cent was issued in 2009 to mark the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth and the 100th anniversary of the Lincoln cent itself. Rather than a single reverse design, the Mint issued four different reverse designs that year, each representing a stage of Lincoln's life, before switching to the Union Shield reverse in 2010.

Obverse Design

The obverse retains the traditional Lincoln portrait, based on Victor David Brenner's original design, facing right, with LIBERTY to the left, IN GOD WE TRUST above, and the date to the right.

Reverse Designs

Four reverse designs were used, each released in sequence during 2009: a log cabin representing Lincoln's birthplace and early childhood in Kentucky; a young Lincoln seated on a log reading a book while taking a break from splitting rails, representing his formative years in Indiana; Lincoln standing before the Illinois State Capitol, representing his professional life as a lawyer and legislator; and a partially completed U.S. Capitol dome, representing his presidency during the Civil War. Each reverse carries the denomination ONE CENT and the national motto E PLURIBUS UNUM.

Size, Weight, Metal, and Edge

These cents are struck in copper-plated zinc, about 97.5% zinc with a thin copper coating, matching the composition used for regular-issue cents since 1982. They weigh about 2.5 grams, measure 19mm in diameter, and have a plain edge.

Mint Marks

A mint mark appears on the obverse, just below the date, near Lincoln's shoulder. Circulating pieces show either no mint mark for Philadelphia or a "D" for Denver, while proof versions struck for collectors carry an "S" for San Francisco.

Telling It Apart From Similar Coins

The easiest way to identify a Bicentennial cent is the date, 2009, combined with one of the four distinctive reverse scenes rather than the Lincoln Memorial building shown on cents from 1959 through 2008 or the Union Shield used from 2010 onward. Because all four 2009 reverse types share the same obverse and composition, the reverse artwork alone tells you which of the four designs you are holding.

Judging Condition

Check the fine architectural or figural details on the reverse, such as the log cabin's individual logs, the rail-splitting figure's tools and posture, the Capitol building's columns, or the unfinished dome's scaffolding-like structure, since these fine elements show wear or handling marks first. On the obverse, look at Lincoln's hair and coat details near the highest points of the portrait.

Authenticity Notes

Because these are common, recently minted coins struck in massive numbers for circulation, counterfeiting for profit is uncommon; most encountered issues involve environmental damage, such as corrosion or discoloration from the zinc core reacting after the copper plating is scratched or worn through, rather than deliberate alteration. A coin with a greenish or grainy surface where the copper plating is compromised is showing environmental wear rather than a sign of an altered date or mint mark.