The Passing of the Penny: The Coin of Abraham Lincoln and the Common Folk

When Carl Sandburg first wrote about Abraham Lincoln in 1909, it was not in a sweeping biography but in a short newspaper piece for the Milwaukee Daily News. His subject was the brand‑new Lincoln cent. Sandburg saw in that coin a perfect symbol:

“The common, homely face of ‘Honest Abe’ will look good on the penny, the coin of the common folk from whom he came and to whom he belongs.” [1]

For Sandburg, Lincoln’s image on the smallest coin was a democratic gesture — a reminder that the president who rose from poverty belonged to the people, not to privilege.

Now, more than a century later, the penny itself has reached its end. Rising production costs finally outweighed its usefulness, and the government has decided to discontinue the cent. The last U.S. penny produced for general circulation was struck at the Philadelphia Mint on November 12, 2025. [2] A coin that has been part of American life since the founding era — and that has carried Lincoln’s visage since 1909 — will “now belong to the ages.” 

The penny’s story is long. Officially called "the cent", it has represented one‑hundredth of a dollar since the abolition of the half‑cent in 1857. The first U.S. cent was produced in 1787, and by 1793 the newly established Philadelphia Mint was issuing copper cents as part of the nation’s first circulating currency. Over time, the coin became a fixture of everyday life: copper or copper‑plated or zinc, jingling in pockets, passed across counters, saved in jars. [3]

Lincoln’s face gave the penny a special resonance. It was 'the coin of the common folk', echoing Sandburg’s words, and it carried with it the lore of Lincoln’s own humble beginnings. Children learned to count with pennies; adults used them for bus fares, newspapers, and candy. The penny was both practical and symbolic, a reminder that even the smallest denomination could carry the image of greatness.

Over its long run, the Lincoln cent carried not only his face but a series of changing backs that told their own story. From 1909 until 1958, the reverse featured two wheat stalks framing the words “ONE CENT” — a nod to agriculture and the nation’s roots. 

In 1959, to mark the 150th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth, the design shifted to the Lincoln Memorial, placing the president’s memorial at the center of America’s civic life. Notice Lincoln's iconic statue by Daniel Chester French in the center of the enlarged image on the right.

  

Half a century later, in 2010, the reverse carried a new image: the Union shield, echoing Civil War iconography and standing for the strength and unity of the republic. This was the last change to the penny.

However, one year stands out for its variety: 2009, the bicentennial of Lincoln’s birth. That year, four special reverses appeared, each depicting a stage of his life. 

• The “Log Cabin Penny” honored his birth and childhood in Kentucky. 
• Another showed young Lincoln reading while pausing from rail‑splitting in Indiana. 
• A third depicted him as a rising professional in Illinois, standing before the State Capitol in Springfield. 
• The final design featured the half‑completed Capitol dome in Washington, D.C., representing his presidency and the unfinished work of the nation. 

Together, these designs turned the penny into a miniature biography, carrying Lincoln’s journey from frontier boy to president - all in the palm of the hand.

With its discontinuation, the Lincoln penny now moves from circulation into history. It joins the ranks of relics and stories — a coin that once connected the nation’s founding, its most iconic president, and the daily lives of ordinary Americans. Like Lincoln’s stovepipe hat, the penny has become part of the folklore: an object that was useful, familiar, and now legendary.

The penny may vanish from our pockets, but Lincoln’s face will never leave our history.

A numismatics story from the archives of Abraham Lincoln, Storyteller.

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Abraham Lincoln’s legacy — honored by contemporaries and historians alike — made his face the longest‑running image on U.S. coinage. Curious what shaped the man behind the penny? 👉 Read The Forage That Shaped Young Abe Lincoln   

📚 Works Cited

[1] Sandburg C. "Lincoln on Pennies". Milwaukee Daily News. 1909 Feb 12; p. 1. [The coin was introduced February 12, 1909 on the centennial of Lincoln’s birth.] Available from: Indiana State Government archives. Lincoln Penny Sandburg Article PDF. https://www.in.gov/lincoln/pdfs/Lincoln_Penny_Sandburg_Article.pdf

[2] Isidore, Chris; Yurkevich, Vanessa (November 12, 2025). "The last-ever penny will be minted today in Philadelphia | CNN Business". CNN. Retrieved December 12, 2025.

[3] "History of U.S. Circulating Coins". www.usmint.gov. Retrieved December 12, 2025.