The one-cent penny of the United States has been made since the earliest days of the nation, and there have been several different designs issued over the years. Early pennies were large, and are collectively known as large cents. Since 1856, pennies have been smaller.
One early attempt at a one-cent coin for the U.S. was the so-called fugio cent of 1787, designed by Benjamin Franklin but short-lived. In 1793, two different designs were tried in succession for pennies: the chain and wreath cents, both of which were unpopular. From 1793 to 1796, a design called Liberty cap was tried. These early cents set the trend of using the figure of Liberty on coins.
The draped-bust Liberty penny followed until 1807, when it was replaced by the classic head penny for a few years. In 1816, the U.S. finally hit upon a design that would last a significant period of time: the matron head (or coronet) penny, a large cent coin that was used until 1839. The final large cent in the United States was the braided hair cent, issued until 1857.
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A year earlier, in 1856, experiments began with smaller cent coins, and the first was the flying eagle cent, which proved too hard to strike but which has gained many collectors and fans in recent years. In 1859, the Indian head penny (actually Liberty wearing a Native American head dress) was introduced, and would last through the Civil War and Reconstruction.
In 1909, to honor Abraham Lincoln’s 100th birthday, the Lincoln penny was issued; for its first few decades it contained ears of wheat on the reverse and was known as the Lincoln wheat penny. In 1959, Lincoln’s 150th birthday, the reverse was changed to the Lincoln Memorial.
In 2009, Lincoln’s 200th birthday, a special one-year-only set of four bicentennial pennies were introduced, each showing Lincoln at various stages of his life. Following this, the 2010 design kept the familiar portrait of Lincoln on the obverse and changed the reverse to a shield with a sash across it reading “ONE CENT”.
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There have been many highly collectible pennies created and introduced into the for-sale marketplace these days for buyers and collectors. The for sale offers are constantly changing, and represent many different vendors and sellers. If you are looking for a specific penny or type of one-cent coin, watch the listings closely, and if you are trying to get one of each type, or one of each year (et cetera) check the subcategories to see specific cents.
