Coin Highlights
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Issuer: United States of America
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Date: 1909
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Mint: San Francisco (S)
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Denomination: One Cent (1¢)
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Composition: 95% copper, 5% tin and zinc
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Weight: 3.11 g
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Diameter: 19 mm
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Grade: PCGS VF25 (Very Fine)
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Obverse Design: Portrait of Abraham Lincoln by Victor David Brenner, with IN GOD WE TRUST above and LIBERTY and date alongside the bust.
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Reverse Design: Two wheat stalks framing ONE CENT and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, motto E PLURIBUS UNUM above.
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Edge: Plain
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Orientation: Coin alignment (↑↓)
Historical Significance
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The Lincoln Cent debuted in 1909, commemorating the 100th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth.
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Two versions were struck: the 1909 VDB with designer Victor D. Brenner’s initials boldly on the reverse, and the 1909-S without VDB, after the initials were quickly removed.
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Only 1,825,000 pieces of the 1909-S without VDB were minted, making it a key rarity.
Collectibility
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The 1909-S Lincoln Cent (non-VDB) is one of the most famous key dates in the Wheat Cent series.
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In VF25, this example shows clear details on Lincoln’s portrait and the wheat ears, with moderate circulation wear consistent with the grade.
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Essential for any Lincoln Cent collection, whether building a date/mintmark set or pursuing a type collection of U.S. key dates.
