Professional Life Of President Abraham Lincoln

United States Mint Director Ed Moy along with US Senator Dick Durbin took part in the launch ceremony which appeared to garner much more public attention than ceremonies for the previous two designs. Of course, Springfield is where Abraham Lincoln spent most of his adult life and it has developed a special relationship with those interested in the 16th President of the United States. Home to Lincoln’s Tomb and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum as well as a plethora of other Lincoln related sites, Springfield was the ideal location for a ceremony in his honor. The Old State Capitol was chosen as the site for the ceremony not only because it is featured as part of the new cent design, but also because it was very familiar to Lincoln who served in the Illinois General Assembly. It was also here where Lincoln made his famous ‘House Divided’ speech and where he is laid in state after being assassinated. One can easily imagine a pre-presidential Lincoln standing in front of the Capitol, just like the design shows on the new penny. A slight breeze caused the flag above the Old Capitol to flutter as US Mint Director Moy prepared to introduce the coin to the waiting crowd. As many reported from the launch of the previous two designs, much of the crowd waited in the snaking lines around the grounds in preparation for the penny exchange, rather than taking a seat in front of the ceremony. Almost all, however, were able to hear and see the speeches that preceded the exchange. Once the speeches were finished and the new design unveiled on stage, Director Moy and Senator Durbin handed out new shiny pennies to eagerly awaiting children. Those who had been waiting patiently were offered the opportunity for an exchange from Chase Bank — $3 cash for 6 rolls of new coins. Many made more than one trip through, which at its peak took about 50 minutes. Those not interested in keeping all of their allotted pennies were able to find a profitable outlet for them once they left the capitol grounds. A few enterprising individuals were offering up to $10 a roll, no doubt intending to sell them later at a higher premium.

Silver Morgan Dollar Coin

The Comstock Lode, the greatest silver strike in history, was discovered in Nevada in the late 1850s. The strike put downward pressure on silver prices worldwide. The greatest silver strike in history was followed by the greatest coinage boondoggle in history. In 1878, to protect the interest of the western states, Congress passed the Bland-Allison Act which required the Treasury Department to purchase large amounts of silver, and to strike it as coins. For reasons of economy, the Treasury chose to strike the silver as dollars. The mintage was far more than was needed in circulation. These excess silver dollars quickly began piling up. Some original mint bags of Morgan dollars remained in treasury vaults until the 1960s. This strange past has led to one of the greatest collectible series in American coins providing collectors with many dates and mint marks readily obtainable in mint state condition along with challenging rarities. The Morgan Dollar is a silver United States dollar coin. The dollars were minted from 1878 to 1904 and again for one more year in 1921. The Morgan Dollar is named after its designer, George T. Morgan, who designed the obverse and reverse of the coin. Morgan's monogram appears near Lady Liberty's neck on the obverse. The dollar was authorized by the Bland- Allison Act of 1878. It has a fineness of .900, giving a total silver content of 0.77344 troy ounces (24.057 grams) per coin. When the Morgan Dollar was minted in 1878, it was the first dollar issued for American commercial use since the last Seated Liberty Dollar of 1873. The Trade Dollar was minted during this time period but was for trade in the orient. The Morgan Dollar was continuously minted until 1904 when the supply of Morgan Dollars in circulation was high and there was an absence of silver bullion. Then in 1918, the Pittman Act called for over 270 million coins to be melted for silver content. In 1921, the coinage of the Morgan Dollar resumed for that year and was replaced by the Peace Dollar commemorative that would become standard issue. Since 1921, many Morgan Dollars have been melted, mostly when silver prices escalate and they yield silver bullion. Caches of Morgan Dollars produced at the Carson City Mint were discovered and were sold to coin collectors by the federal government in the early 1970s. These dollars were un-circulated and are called GSAs (named after the General Services Administration) and come in holds that mimic the holds used for proof silver Eisenhower dollars.

4 design of 2009 Lincoln pennies

The United States Mint will mint and issue four different 2009 Lincoln pennies in recognition of the bicentennial birth of President Abraham Lincoln and the 100th anniversary of the Lincoln cent. While the obverse or heads side of the penny remains unchanged, the new reverse designs beautifully portray facets of Lincoln’s life, with the first cent officially launched into circulation on Feb. 12, at the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site, in Hodgenville, Kentucky.

2009 Lincoln Pennies

When the first 2009 penny was issued on Lincoln’s birthday, Feb. 12, it marked the first redesign of the cent in 50 years. At the time the 2009 Lincoln cent designs were first revealed, United States Mint Director Ed Moy said:

“This is a momentous occasion in the history of our Nation’s coinage because these designs represent the first change in the Lincoln cent in half a century.

These coins are a tribute to one of our greatest Presidents whose legacy has had a lasting impact on our country. He believed all men were created equal, and his life was a model for accomplishing the American dream through honesty, integrity, loyalty, and a lifetime of education.”

Each penny will be released into general circulation at approximately three-months intervals throughout 2009. Although the US Mint has not officially declared exact release dates, the expected launch dates for the second, third and fourth penny are May 14, Aug. 13 and Nov. 12.

At the conclusion of the 2009 Lincoln Bicentennial Program — years 2010 and beyond — the one-cent coin will feature a reverse design that will be "emblematic of President Lincoln’s preservation of the United States of America as a single and united country."

2009 Lincoln Silver Dollars further honor America’s revered leader. The United States Mint has struck collector proof and uncirculated silver coins with a limited total mintage of 500,000.

2009 Lincoln Silver Dollars
Lincoln Bicentennial Silver Dollars

In the first week of sales alone, 116,558 of the proofs and 61,164 of the uncirculated coins were purchased by collectors. By the second week, nearly half of the authorized mintage was sold.

The Lincoln coins were authorized through the Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005, which was signed into law (Public Law 109-145) on Dec. 22, 2005 by President George Bush.

New Penny Honors Lincoln's Indiana Years

LINCOLN CITY, Ind. -- Nearly 3,000 people gathered at a southern Indiana park Thursday for the U.S. Mint's release of a new penny that pays homage to Abraham Lincoln's years as a Hoosier.The penny's release at Lincoln State Park created traffic jams and a quarter-mile-long line filled with coin collectors and Lincoln enthusiasts carrying umbrellas to ward off rain showers, 6News' Ben Morriston reported."I took off running and ran up here so I could be first and I got the pennies. Yep, they're awesome," one woman said.Some waited for hours to get rolls of the newly minted coins that depict on their reverse "tails" side a teenage Lincoln reading a book while taking a break from rail splitting.Lincoln lived from age 7 to 21 in Spencer County in an area about 30 miles northeast of Evansville that was then little more than a densely wooded frontier town.Some collectors said they were stocking up on the pennies to sell later."There's no telling (how much they're worth). Mine are going straight to eBay," one man said.Experts said each coin could fetch up to $40.The Indiana Lincoln penny is the second in a four-part penny series depicting different stages in Lincoln's life being released as part of events celebrating the 200th anniversary of his birth.