The 1909 Lincoln cent was struck to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth. The designer was Lithuanian immigrant sculptor Victor D. Brenner. The original design featured the designer's initials "V.D.B" at the bottom of the reverse and those initials were relatively large. The placement and appearance of the initials was widely criticized in the newspapers of the day. The Mint responded by removing the initials. For the rest of 1909 and until 1918 when they were placed much less noticeably on the bottom truncation of Lincoln's bust, the designer's initials were nowhere to be found on the Lincoln cent. But before the initials were removed, 27,995,000 1909 "VDB" Lincoln cents were struck.
This coin was saved in huge quantities by first year of issue souvenir savers, Lincoln and history lovers, and maybe by a few speculators feeling the VDB initials would soon be dropped. Over the years I have seen many original Uncirculated rolls and mini-hoards of this coin. Today, there are probably 30,000 to 40,000 Mint State survivors and maybe as many as 20,000 full Red Gems. The coin is usually very well struck. The full Red Gems are often "very Red" in appearance, not subdued at all. This is by far the easiest of the early Philadelphia Lincoln cents to find in Gem full Red condition.
Review for the 1909 VDB BN 1C Lincoln First of all the subject line item needs defined: This is a review for Certified example of the first Lincoln Cent given the BN designation which stands for Brown Color. This color designation is used at all the Major grading services like PCGS NGC and ANACS . The other color designations are RD for Red and RB for Red/Brown. THe initials MS is typically used as a suffix to the color. MS stands for Mint State which refers to uncirculated. The VDB in this title stands for Victor David Brenner. Brenner was the sculptor whose created the bust that is still used today on our one cent coin. If you examine closely, using the 1909 compared to the 2009 you will see a difference Personally I as well as many others feel the engraving which provides the look is much more attractive on the 1909 than the 2009. 1909 was the first year the Lincoln cent was minted. The coin was initially minted at the Philadelphia with the initials VDB on the bottom of the reverse. After public outcry and 27 million were minted, the initials were removed from the reverse and many years later in 1918 the initials were added back less noticeably to the obverse on the shoulder of dear ol Abe. Note: The coin pictured is from PCGS Coin Facts picture archive. It is a rare example in that it is graded 66 PCGS has only graded 10 other coins as 66BN none higher. Coin Facts is an excellent resource AS a reference for helping determine the values of coins by comparison. The Coin Facts archive also contains auction closing prices from the major Auction Houses. Often eBay sales are also included along with specific coin statistics, like the number of certified examples and the coins rarity compared to others in the series. Last note regarding coin pictured. This coin particular exhibits very unusual toning which occurs when the copper has been exposed to various airborne contaminants. Often unusual toning is considered to be very desirable and will command premiums many times the posted value. The utmost in care should be taken when purchasing coins that are colorful. More often than not, a coin that exhibits colorful toning that is not in a certified slab has been artificially colored and should be avoided. IN closing the 1909 VDB is a very historical and unique coin on many levels. I personally think that anyone who is tune with US history would love to own a Certified example of this coin even if they are not coin collectors. It makes for a perfect conversation piece. Whether it be Abe Lincoln himself and all that he is related too or 1909 and that era or the controversy that Victor Brenner stirred up with his initials, there is surely something in this coin that everybody can relate to. And on that note of all the US coins available in my opinion, this coin is the best for a fantastically great gift. Certified examples are easily obtainable ranging from $30 for circulated examples to just over $1000 for the Best Uncirculated coins graded MS67RD.Read full review
Beautiful coin as advertised. Great value at a reasonable price.
Verified purchase: Yes
Just as it was described, this 1909 VDB is a real beauty. Truly AU condition. Very satisfied with this coin
Verified purchase: Yes
I would have been happy paying $15 for this roll. What a steal!
Verified purchase: Yes
What a bargain! I love my coin!
Verified purchase: Yes