The United States Mint held an official launch ceremony to present the new Union Shield Cents to the public. Following the four Bicentennial designs representing the stages of the life of Abraham Lincoln, this final new design would be emblematic of his preservation of the union. The ceremony was held on February 11, 2010 at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (ALPLM).
The ceremony was attended by United States Mint Director Edmund Moy, the ALPLM acting executive director Jan Grimes, the the ALPLM curator James Cornelius. Approximately one thousand members of the public were in attendance to witness the new design’s official presentation. A ceremonial coin pour took place and children received a free 2010 Union Shield Cent to make the occasion.
Edmund Moy stated, “This one-cent coin honors the preservation of the union, which was Abraham Lincoln’s ultimate achievement. Because of his presidency, despite bitter regional enmity and a horrific civil war, we remained the United States of America.”
The ceremony was followed by a coin exchange where attendees were able to exchange currency for rolls of the new Union Shield Cents at face value. There were exactly one million pennies available at the exchange. Attendees were allowed to exchange for a minimum of two rolls or a maximum of six rolls for each pass through the line.
Some collectors brought their coin rolls to the nearby Cook Street Post Office where a postal cancellation was specially prepared for the occasion. By applying stamps to the rolls, some collectors created first day of issue canceled Union Shield Cent rolls.