1959 Lincoln Memorial Cent Gem Uncirculated RD

1959 Lincoln Memorial Cent Gem Uncirculated RD

This 1959 Lincoln Cent represents an important transition year in American coinage. It was the first year the Lincoln Cent featured the Lincoln Memorial reverse, replacing the Wheat Cent design that had been used from 1909 through 1958.

The obverse features President Abraham Lincoln, a design created by Victor David Brenner and first introduced in 1909 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Lincoln's birth. The Lincoln Cent was significant because it was the first regular issue United States coin to feature an actual historical person.

In 1959, the United States Mint introduced a new reverse designed by Frank Gasparro featuring the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. This design remained on the cent for 50 years, from 1959 through 2008.

An interesting detail of the Memorial design is that a tiny representation of the Lincoln statue can be seen between the columns of the Memorial. Because Lincoln's portrait also appears on the front, the coin technically depicts Lincoln on both sides.

This example is labeled Gem Uncirculated RD. "RD" stands for Red, a designation used for copper coins that retain most of their original red copper color rather than developing the brown coloration commonly seen as copper ages.

The 1959 cent was also struck with the traditional bronze composition of 95% copper and 5% tin and zinc. This makes it different from modern Lincoln cents, which have been made primarily from zinc with a thin copper plating since 1982.

The coin is housed in the CoinHub holder shown in the photos.

You will receive the exact 1959 Lincoln Memorial Cent shown.

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