The permanent redesign of the Lincoln Cent was authorized under Public Law 109-145. This was the same law that authorized the issuance of four different reverse designs for the 2009 Lincoln Cents. For the following year, the law called for a new image featured on the reverse which would be emblematic of Abraham Lincoln’s preservation of the United States of America as a single and united country.
An array of 18 different design candidates were initially prepared by the United States Mint. Each of these designs carried out the design characteristics specified by the law. Candidates included various views of the U.S. Capitol Building, renditions of American flags, images of shields, portrayals of eagles, and one featuring wheat stalks.
These design candidates were reviewed by the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) and the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC). Their reviews and recommendations would be considered by the Director of United States Mint when making a final recommendation to the Treasury of the Secretary, who had authority to make the final selection.
The CFA officially recommended a depiction of a flag with 34 stars. The CCAC favored the design featuring the Union Shield. The final design selection was officially announced by the United States Mint on November 12, 2009. The rendition of the Union Shield with a scroll draped across bearing the denomination was chosen.
The Union Shield dates back tot he 1780’s and was widely used during the Civil War. It is featured throughout the halls of the U.S. Capitol Building on frescoes by Constantino Brumdi, the building’s artist during Lincoln’s Presidency. The shield includes thirteen vertical stripes bound by a horizontal bar representing the thirteen original states joined together in a compact union to support the federal government.
The new Union Shield Cents were first issued in 2010. The design is intended to be used for the foreseeable future, perhaps as long as the next 49 years when the 250th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth might prompt another change!