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Coin of the Month

2010 One-Cent Coin

This month, being February, I thought the penny would be a great Coin of the Month.  President Lincoln appears on the front and his birthday is in February.

Now, we have looked at the one-cent coin before.  In fact, Inspector Collector presented one as last February's Coin of the Month. Four different designs were created last year for the back of this coin to show four different times in President Lincoln's life, honoring his 200th birthday.

This year, there will only be one design on the back of the penny, the design that will stay there for many years.  Do you see the picture of it over there on the side?  The biggest part of the image is a shield with 13 stripes and a bar across the top.

If you think the shield looks a little old-fashioned, there's a good reason for that.  It's known as a "union shield."  It was used a lot during Abraham Lincoln's lifetime, both before and after the Civil War, in all kinds of places, like art, magazines, and coins…even on buttons!

There are many states with different governments, but the states chose to unite under one federal government to combine their resources for safety and strength.  That unity is something President Lincoln worked hard for as he led the Union through the Civil War.

The union shield is the kind of symbol required by the law passed in 2005, a symbol that stands for "President Abraham Lincoln's preservation of the United States as a single and united country."  So, used here on the one-cent coin, the union shield stands for not only the United States as one united country, but also Lincoln's vision for a nation that stays united despite its differences, with liberty and justice for all.

—Plinky

Plinky, the Mint Pig

Teacher Feature

Image shows the front of the 2010 one-cent coin.
Obverse:  The familiar profile of Abraham Lincoln remains on the front of the coin.

Image shows the back of the 2010 one-cent coin.
Reverse:  The union shield bearing the motto "E Pluribus Unum" is draped with a banner that says "One Cent."



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