2009 Lincoln Bicentennial Pennies In 2009, the U.S. Mint will issue a series of four different commemorative Pennies honoring the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth. The coins also mark the 100th anniversary of the Lincoln Penny, which was first issued in 1909 as a tribute to Lincoln on the 100th anniversary of his birth. The 2009 Lincoln Pennies will be the first commemorative Pennies in history; they will be struck for circulation and will replace the regular-issue Lincoln Pennies that were made from 1909 to 2008. Each of the four different commemorative Pennies will depict a unique one-time-only design on the reverse to represent one of the four phases of Lincoln’s life. The obverse will remain the same image of Lincoln by sculptor Victor D. Brenner that has been used since the first coin in 1909. The reverse designs are the first changes to the coin’s design since 1959 when the Lincoln Memorial replaced the original “wheat ears” design. Each 2009 coin will be made for only about three months. A new permanent reverse design will be introduced in 2010 that will be emblematic of Lincoln's preservation of the United States as a single and united country. The first 2009 Lincoln Bicentennial Penny will symbolize Lincoln’s birth and early childhood in Kentucky (1809-1816). Lincoln was born in a log cabin in Hodgenville, Kentucky, on February 12, 1809, and his family lived in poverty on a farm near Hodgenville until he was almost eight years old; the coin shows a log cabin to represent his humble beginnings. The second coin will honor Lincoln’s formative years in Indiana (1816-1830). Lincoln’s family moved to the Indiana frontier country in 1816, and it was here that he discovered the joys of reading and the satisfaction of hard work; the coin depicts Lincoln reading while taking a break from working as a rail splitter in Indiana. The third 2009 Lincoln Bicentennial Penny will feature Lincoln’s professional life in Illinois (1830-1861). After moving to Illinois in 1830, Lincoln worked a variety of odd jobs, became a lawyer, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, and in 1860 was elected President of the United States; the coin features Lincoln in front of the Illinois state capitol building in Springfield. The fourth and final coin will highlight Lincoln’s Presidency in Washington, D.C. (1861-1865). Lincoln’s Presidency was shaped by the Civil War, but he was assassinated on April 15, 1865, just days after victory in the war and shortly after his inauguration for a second term; the coin shows the half-finished United States Capitol dome.