Frater Introduces New Penny Designs for 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The public got its first glimpse of the new Lincoln cent reverse designs earlier this month. U.S. Mint Director Frater Ed Moy (Lambda, Univ. of Wisconsin) and Jim Rubin, an Abraham Lincoln look-alike, revealed them on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

The new designs are meant for four 2009 circulating cents in honor of the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth and the 100th anniversary of the Lincoln cent. They each mark a different phase in Lincoln's life:

• A log cabin representative of his birth and childhood in Kentucky
• His early life as a rail-splitter in Indiana
• His early professional career, depicted as Lincoln standing in front of the Old State Capitol building in Springfield, Ill.
• His presidency, represented by the Capitol dome being constructed in Washington, D.C., during the Civil War

"These designs represent the first change in the Lincoln cent in half a century," Frater Moy (Grand Crysophylos) said. "These coins are a tribute to one of our greatest presidents whose legacy has had a lasting impact on our country."

Also on hand for the design ceremony were Harold Holzer, co-chairman of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, and Eileen Mackevich, executive director of the commission.

This change for the cent did not go unnoticed by the national media. The story was picked up by CBS Evening News the day of the unveiling.

Adapted from Numismaster News Release. If you would like to see your chapter news here, contact Director of Communication Tom McAninch.