With a mintage of 484,000 — the lowest of any regular-issue Lincoln cent — the 1909-S VDB is widely regarded as the key date of the Lincoln cent series. Its scarcity was instant: issued on August 2, 1909, it was discontinued within days when designer Victor David Brenner’s initials were ordered removed from the reverse dies. PCGS co-founder David Hall has said the issue ‘may be the most well known U.S. coin.’
History
- First year of the Lincoln cent, which replaced the Indian Head cent — the first everyday U.S. coin to feature a specific real person, Abraham Lincoln.
- Designed by Victor David Brenner; Chief Engraver Charles Barber reduced Brenner’s full name on the reverse base to the initials "VDB" at the bottom of the reverse.
- Released August 2, 1909; production was halted August 6, 1909 so the initials could be removed after newspaper criticism calling them free advertising. The initials returned in 1918 on Lincoln’s shoulder, below the bust, after Barber’s death.
- Philadelphia struck 27,995,000 VDB cents the same year — the "S" mint mark plus the VDB initials is the only San Francisco key variety.
Key dates & varieties
- Mintage: 484,000 — the lowest-mintage regular-issue Lincoln cent (the 1909-S Indian cent, at 309,000, is a different series), and widely regarded as the series’ key date.
- One of the most counterfeited U.S. coins: verify the "S" mint-mark style and the VDB placement against certified examples; buy certified.
Specifications
- Weight: 3.11 g; diameter 19.05 mm; plain edge.
- Composition: 95% copper, 2.5% tin, 2.5% zinc (bronze).
Collector notes
- Do not buy raw high-grade examples without authentication — altered dates and added mint marks are the known forgery routes on this issue.
Market check
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