Your penny's worth for today

Four different designs for pennies in 2009 (Click to enlarge designs for better view)

Honest Abe will remain on the front of pennies in 2009.

Abraham Lincoln's image has been on the front of the penny since 1909. That image will remain in place but four different designs will be on the back of coins to be issued next year. The four different images highlight parts of Lincoln's life. These coins will be issued about 3 months apart in the order they happened.

* His birth in Kentucky (1809 to 1816)
* His youth in Indiana (1816 to 1830)
* His professional life in Illinois (1830 to 1861)
* His presidency in Washington, DC (1861 to 1865)

The U.S. Mint has been producing cents for circulation for 215 years since 1793 Pennies which aren't even made of copper anymore (It's zinc with a copper-coating) are considered by many to be growing more and more unnecessary...and expensive.
Besides the regular circulating version of these coins, a special version may be made for collectors. This version would contain the same metals as the original 1909 cent (95 percent copper, 5 percent tin and zinc) instead of the modern cent's normal mix (2.5 percent copper, the rest zinc).

The U. S. Mint unveiled the new designs during a ceremony Monday at the Lincoln Memorial. The new coins are part of the commemmoration next year of the 200th anniversary or Lincoln's birth.

Penny Lexicon

* A penny for your thoughts (tell me what you're thinking)
* Not one red cent (not giving up a single penny)
* Penniless, not a penny to his name (poor)
* Penny wise and pound foolish (being thrifty in small things but wasteful in important things)
* Put your two cents in (give your opinion)
* Pennies from heaven (small blessings)
* Penny-pinching (stinginess)
* Penny ante (small-time)
* Penny whistle (toy flute)
* Penny arcade (part of an amusement park with coin-operated machines)