The Lincoln cent is the current one cent coin of the U.S. Dollar. It was adopted in 1909, replacing the Indian Head cent. Its obverse, featuring a bust of Abraham Lincoln to commemorate his centennial, has been in continuous usage. When the Lincoln cent coin made its initial appearance in 1909, it marked a radical departure from the accepted styling of United States coinage, as it was the first regular coin to bear a portrait other than the mythical Liberty. •Initially the alloy of the Lincoln cent followed the Indian Head design in 1864, 95% copper and 5% tin and zinc. This was changed in 1943 to a Steel base, due to the war and in an effort to save copper. Production of the war-time cent was provided for in an Act of Congress approved on December 18, 1942. Production commenced on February 27, 1943, and by December 31 of that year, the copper released for the war effort was enough to meet the combined needs of 2 cruisers, 2 destroyers, 1,243 Flying Fortresses, 120 field guns and 120 howitzers, or enough for 1,250,000 shells for large field guns. •All five $5 bills feature similar designs - Abraham Lincoln on the front and the Lincoln Memorial on the back. The most noticeable difference is the color of the seal which is different to reflect the issuing entity and the mode of redemption. 1934 $5 Silver Certificate with blue seal was the first small-size Silver Certificate. Unlike other bank notes, Silver Certificates were actually backed by real silver in the Treasury, and the holder of the bank note could exchange it for a Silver Dollar until the 1960s. The 1934 Blue Seal $5 bill is the first issued Blue Seal $5 and is unique in that it has a large Blue 5 on the left of the obverse design. The replacement Blue Seal $5 of 1953 was issued with a grey 5. |