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The Lincoln Cent was introduced in 1909 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln. Designed by Victor D. Brenner, the original 1909 Cent displayed his initials, VDB, on the reverse of the coin. After public outcry, his initials were removed resulting in two varieties of the 1909 cent.
In 1943, a shortage of copper forced the mint to use zinc-coated steal, while from 1944-1946 cents were produced from salvaged cartridge cases. 1947 saw the resumption of the standard bronze alloy. During 1959, Frank Gasparro designed a new reverse for the Lincoln Cent which featured the Lincoln Memorial. In 1962, the alloy was changed to 95% copper and 5% zinc. In 1982, the alloy changed to copper-plated zinc.
Lincoln Cents are minted literally by billions today. While modern Lincoln's do not represent good investment, pre-1934 Lincoln's should be acquired.
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