Lincoln penny unveilings a mint for coin collectors

FROM:
http://www.sj-r.com/homepage/x135729...ngfield-Aug-13

Lincoln penny unveilings a mint for coin collectors

By TIM LANDIS )
THE STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER
Posted Jun 27, 2009 @ 11:30 PM
Last update Jun 27, 2009 @ 11:42 PM

If Lincoln City, Ind. is an indication, the mid-August
unveiling of a redesigned penny in Springfield could
get a little crazy.

(Story Image Photo - 2009 Lincoln Bicentennial)
http://www.sj-r.com/homepage/x135729...ew=pop&photo=2

The U.S Mint has scheduled the unveiling of the third
in a series of four 2009 Abraham Lincoln bicentennial
pennies, this one depicting Lincoln's professional
life in Illinois, for Aug. 13 at the Old State Capitol.

Lincoln City officials estimate a crowd of 3,000 to
4,000 descended on that community, population 50, for
the May 15 ceremonial rollout of a penny featuring
Abraham Lincoln's years in Indiana. About 3,000 people
stood in line to buy the newly minted coins at cost,
50 per roll, minimum of two rolls and a maximum of six.

"I'm thinking about going to Springfield, just for the
madness," said Melissa Miller, executive director of
the Spencer County (Ind.) Tourism Bureau. "It was like
a Woodstock for coin collectors."

Spencer County, about 75 miles north of Louisville,
Ky., is home to Lincoln State Park and the Lincoln
Boyhood National Memorial.

Given the response to the Indiana penny unveiling and
the previous one at the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace
National Historic Site in Kentucky, local organizers
are preparing for a big crowd Aug. 13 - even more so
because the penny release coincides with the
traditional Twilight Parade and preview night for
the Illinois State Fair, said David Blanchette of
the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.

"We have been in phone conversations with the U.S.
Mint, and they'll do a site visit in July and nail
down the particulars," said Blanchette.

Historic Preservation has had some experience with
large crowds at a series of Lincoln bicentennial
activities this year, including the Feb. 12
issuance of a commemorative stamp for Lincoln's
birthday. That event drew 5,000 to 7,000 people.

Illinois' version of the penny features Lincoln in
front of the Old State Capitol. It is designed to
highlight his years as a prominent local attorney
and legislator in Springfield before his election
to the presidency in 1860

The Indiana penny features Lincoln's "formative
years," while the Kentucky coin displays the log
cabin where he was born. The fourth penny,
featuring Lincoln's presidency, will be this fall
in Washington D.C.

The Kentucky penny was released in Hodgenville,
about 55 miles south of Louisville, on Lincoln's
birthday. Mayor Terry Cruse said the resulting
crowd of about 800 nearly filled a local gymnasium.

"There was a line of probably an hour or 45 minutes
(to buy pennies)," said Cruse, who purchased a few
rolls himself.

"People wanted them for keepsakes, and there were
a lot of collectors," said Cruse.

Lincoln City and Hodgenville are about a two-hour
drive apart, and some collectors made it to both
cities, he added.

Both Miller and Cruse said security is tight, and
the events drew collectors from as far away as
California.

An armored truck is used to bring in the pennies,
and the specific number available is not
publicized. But both also said everyone who
wanted pennies was accommodated, some more than
once after the initial line worked its way through.

"It was definitely a frenzied atmosphere -- but
it was exciting," said Miller.

U.S. Mint spokeswoman Carolyn Fields said specifics
of the Springfield ceremony will be released as the
date nears, but that the agency also is preparing
for heavy demand.

"At the first two events, people were lined up.
They do come out," she said.

Tim Landis can be reached at 788-1536.

About the penny.

* The one-cent coin was among the first produced
when the U.S. Mint was formed in 1792. The image
was of a woman meant to depict liberty. The first
coin was larger than modern pennies and was made
of pure copper.

* In 1857, Congress authorized a blend of 88 percent
copper and 12 percent nickel. The new cent showed a
flying eagle on the front and a wreath on the back.

* Lincoln went on the penny in 1909, the 100th
anniversary of his birth. From then until 1958,
the Lincoln design was paired on the reverse with
two sheaves of wheat, the so-called "wheat penny."

* From 1959 to 2008, the reverse featured an image
of the Lincoln Memorial.

* Composition of the current penny is 2.5 percent
copper-plated zinc and the remainder zinc; weight,
2.500 grams; diameter 0.750 inches and thickness,
1.55 millimeters.

Source: U.S. Mint.



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