Lincoln Memorial Pennies (1959-2008)

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Redesigned in 1959 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth, the new Lincoln Memorial penny continued Victor D. Brenner’s Lincoln portrait obverse design, while Frank Gasparro’s new reverse featured the Lincoln Memorial. The design was used until 2009, when the Lincoln Memorial cent was replaced by bicentennial pennies. At Profile Coins, we have a wide selection of memorial reverse pennies to help you grow your collection. Shop by year, mint mark, condition, and more with a 30-day satisfaction guarantee! Learn More

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Lincoln Memorial Pennies (1959-2008): A Brief History

Replacing wheat pennies in 1959, Lincoln Memorial cents achieved several firsts. Notably, it marked the first time a building was used on a circulating U.S. coin. As with the real memorial, you can see Lincoln on the coin sitting between the pillars, making it one of the only U.S. coins to feature the same person on both sides.

Pennies with the Lincoln Memorial reverse also had several composition changes throughout their run due to rising copper prices during that period.

1959-1962: 95% copper, 5% tin and zinc

1962-1982: 95% copper, 5% zinc.

1982-2008: 97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper (plated)

For collectors looking for Lincoln Memorial cent zinc coins from the 1982 transition year, you can distinguish them by their weight. The majority copper coins weigh around 3.11 grams while the majority zinc coins weigh around 2.5 grams.

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