By Erin Carlson Mast
The U.S. Treasury unveiled their 4 new designs for the redesigned penny. I have heard various complaints that the timing of the unveiling was in bad taste considering the current financial crisis. A friend had the great tongue-in-cheek comment, “Pennies still exist?”
Yes, pennies do still exist, and while it might not be the financial news folks are understandably clamoring for right now, the redesign has been in the works for years to commemorate the Lincoln Bicentennial in 2009.
Read more about it here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080923/ap_on_bi_ge/lincoln_penny_3
The 4 new designs for the penny
The four designs for the back of the penny are to commemorate Lincoln’s time in the four states/districts he lived: Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, and Washington, D.C. There have been multiple reviews to determine what to place on the back of each penny. President Lincoln’s Cottage was suggested at one point to represent the Washington, D.C. years, but this and other suggestions were turned down in favor of the partially completed Capitol Dome. The unfinished dome is, incidentally, part of the interpretation here at the Cottage, since Lincoln had a bird’s eye view of the unfinished dome (and later the completed dome) when he was living here on the grounds of the Soldiers’ Home.
Ms. Mast is the Curator at President Lincoln’s Cottage.
Categories:Archive
Tags:Lincoln Penny, Penny Redesign, President Lincoln's Cottage
