The US Mint in a typical year offers Lincoln proof cents in two coin products. 2009, however, is far from a typical year for the penny given it is the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth and the 100th anniversary of the Lincoln cent itself.

Not only are there four new one-cent reverse designs this year to celebrate the historical occasions, but there are four different 2009 proof set products that the US Mint has produced for coin collectors.

The proof sets offer varying coin denominations within each, and the included cents are special not just for their four designs but for their unique composition. Unlike the circulating varieties, each proof penny is struck from the same metals as the original 1909 Lincoln bronze cent — 95% copper, 5% tin and zinc.

So which proof set should set a collector buy? Read the rest of this entry »

The United States Mint launched proof versions of the four newly redesigned 2009 Lincoln Cents in a single set on Wednesday, August 26.

The proof sets are priced at $7.95 each, plus shipping and handling, and will be available at noon ET. There is a limit of 5 sets per household.

The one-cent coins celebrate the bicentennial of President Abraham Lincoln’s birth and the 100th anniversary of the first issuance of the Lincoln cent. The sets, therefore, are officially entitled as the 2009 Lincoln Bicentennial One Cent Proof Set.

The reverse of each cent bears a design that represents the four major aspects of Abraham Lincoln’s life: Read the rest of this entry »

The US Mint on Friday launched the 18-coin 2009 Silver Proof Set for $52.95. The annual set is a favorite with collectors, highlighted by the no longer available 2008 Silver Proof Set with sales of 774,874 as of Sunday.

The 2009 set is actually $8 more than last year’s offering, but it also includes an additional silver quarter and four bicentennial 2009 Lincoln cents specially struck in 95% copper, 3% zinc and 2% tin — the same alloy used in the original 1909 penny.

Similar to the fast-selling 2009 clad proof set that was issued by the Mint in June, the silver set contains collector proof versions of circulating 2009 coinage. All coins bear the "S" mint mark denoting they were minted at the United States Mint in San Francisco. Additionally, the dime, half-dollar, and six quarters are struck in lustrous 90 percent silver. The set has an intrinsic silver value of $19.99 at Friday’s silver spot price of $13.16 an ounce. Read the rest of this entry »

With the US Mint announcing the upcoming 2009 US Mint Silver Proof Set launch, coin collectors are reminded of the still available — but for a short time only — 2008 Silver Proof Set.

For marketing focus and to avoid confusion, the US Mint generally ends the sale of prior year proof sets immediately before new year replacements are issued.

The 2009 silver set goes on sale Friday at noon ET so expect the Mint to pull the 2008 set from its online store before then — likely Friday morning.

Demand has been strong for the 14-coin proof offering, although easing of late to around 2,000-3,000 sold per week. In total, collectors have purchased 774,874 sets between its release on Aug. 26, 2008 through to Sunday, July 12. Read the rest of this entry »

2009 US Mint Proof Set sales were on fire during their inaugural launch week.

While the annual sets are always exceedingly popular, the latest one took the Mint by storm. Amazingly, 437,178 of the sets were sold from Monday, June 1, to Sunday, June 7.

The high volume was not without consequences. Most collectors who ordered during the opening hours needed a booster shot of patience.

Purchasing the proof coins online was like waiting for store doors to open on Black Friday morning. Read the rest of this entry »

The US Mint on Monday launched the 2009 Proof Set. The annual set is priced higher this year at $29.95, but it also includes specially minted pennies and four more coins.

The 2009 proof set is highlighted with redesigned Lincoln cents that celebrate the bicentennial birth of Abraham Lincoln. And unlike the circulating penny versions, each is composed of alloy matching the original 1909 Lincoln cent — 95% copper, 3% zinc and 2% tin.

The pennies alone are likely to make the 2009 sets more popular than past years, and that is saying much. The annual sets are always a favorite with collectors — each proof coin strike features the San Francisco "S" mint mark. More than 1.4 million of the 2008 proof sets were sold. Over 1.7 million of the 2007 proof sets were purchased.

Read the rest of this entry »

With the 2009 Quarters Silver Proof Set released Monday, the United States Mint stopped selling the 2008 State Quarters Silver Proof Set.

The latest Mint sales figures indicate 427,511 of the 2008 sets were sold. Generally, sales averaged under 1,400 sets a week for the last several, although the most recent numbers picked up to 1,565.

The set includes quarter-dollars commemorating the last states honored in the 50 State Quarters® Program with coins for Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Alaska and Hawaii. Read the rest of this entry »

The United States Mint is geared up to issue celebratory bicentennial Lincoln cents and has released 2009 Lincoln Penny images for public viewing. The coin images are timely. The first of four commemorative circulating cents will launch on Thursday, February 12, to kick-off the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth.

Similar to the 2009 Lincoln Silver Dollar images released last week, the new images provide a genuine sense of how the coins will look and feel up close, unlike the initial penny designs made available in September of 2008.

2009 Lincoln Penny Images

The four new designs celebrate the bicentennial of President Abraham Lincoln’s birth, as well as the 100th anniversary of the production of the Lincoln cent. The obverse, or heads side, of the pennies bear the standard Victor David Brenner’s likeness of President Lincoln, introduced in 1909.

Each reverse depicts the four major aspects of Lincoln’s life: his birth and childhood in Kentucky, his formative years in Indiana, his professional life in Illinois and his Presidency in Washington, D.C. Read the rest of this entry »

The mainstream press picked up and ran with the U.S. Mint’s promotion of Lincoln penny images and the new coins to honor the bicentennial of Lincoln’s birth and the 100th anniversary of the Lincoln cent in 2009.

Nearly every major outlet had something to say about the four commemorative coins. And, why not? It’s not every day a circulating U.S. coin gets a 50-year-old makeover.

Before the evening news Monday, several thousand CoinNews visitors had read about the upcoming changes.

While the quantity of visitors to the article was no record-breaker, or "top 20" for that matter, Read the rest of this entry »

(Edina, Minnesota) – The introduction next year of new designs for the common Lincoln cent is being praised by a coin expert, but he doubts the practicality of pennies in pocket change.

"The Mint has been producing cents for circulation for 215 years since 1793 and they’re fun to collect, but the usefulness of one-cent denomination coins is questionable.  Pennies may go the way of the two-cent, three-cent and twenty-cent denomination coins that were eliminated in the 1800’s," said Gary Adkins of Edina, Minnesota, President of the Professional Numismatists Guild, a nonprofit organization composed of many of the nation’s top rare coin experts.  

"Any new design will be exciting for collectors and should make non-collectors take a closer look at their pocket change.  But this may be the beginning of the end for pennies,” said Adkins.

Read the rest of this entry »