• Four 2009 Lincoln Pennies struck in .950 copper and .050 tin and zinc.

• Coins are Proofs that were struck at the San Francisco Mint and bear the “S” mint mark below the date on the obverse.

• Proofs are the highest quality coins struck by the U.S. Mint.  Each coin is struck at least twice on highly polished coin blanks to bring out the mirrored background and high-relief images.

• Proof coins are released only to collectors in special sets.  They are not released into circulation.

• Coins are individually encapsulated, and the set of four coins is displayed in a custom presentation case.

• The U.S. Mint struck four different Lincoln Pennies in 2009 to commemorate the 200^th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth and the 100^th anniversary of the first Lincoln Penny.

• The obverse is the original Lincoln portrait that has graced the Penny since 1909.

• Each of the four designs represents a different aspect or theme in the life of Lincoln. 

• These were the first commemorative Pennies in history.  They were made only in 2009 and can never be made again.

• The first coin honors Lincoln’s childhood in Kentucky; it features the log cabin where he was born in 1809.

• The second is a tribute to Lincoln’s formative years in Indiana and shows young Lincoln reading.

• The third depicts Lincoln’s professional life in Illinois and features him in front of the state capitol building in Springfield.

• The final coin honors Lincoln’s Presidency; it shows the unfinished Capitol dome to symbolize a nation divided by the Civil War.

• The Lincoln Penny was first made in 1909.  As a 100^th anniversary tribute, these 2009 Proof coins were made in the original .950 copper and .050 tin and zinc composition instead of the .975 zinc and .025 copper composition of modern circulating Pennies.