The First 2010 Lincoln Cents
Even though the 2010 Lincoln Cents won't officially be launched until next month, the newly designed coins are already in the hands of some collectors.
The coins have apparently reached circulation channels in Puerto Rico, where some people have received them in change for transactions. Rolls of 2010 Lincoln Cents have also been available for sale on eBay for approximately the last week from a seller based in Puerto Rico. Here are the seller's current eBay auctions.
Some other eBay sellers are offering pre-sales, but the above seller definitely has the rolls already in hand. A Mint News Blog reader Jim L has reported receiving rolls and provided pictures.
I was also able to obtain some closer pictures of the obverse and reverse of the new 2010 Lincoln Cent. (Click image for larger version)
The official launch ceremony for the 2010 Lincoln Cent is scheduled to take place on February 11, 2010 at 9:30 AM in Springfield, Illinois at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum. The ceremony will be followed by a coin exchange where attendees will have the opportunity to exchange currency for rolls of the new cents.
Labels: 2009 Lincoln Cents
posted by Mint News Blog @ 10:49 AM
38 Comments:
Yes, and in fact I thought I could get the friendly local post office to hand cancel the side of the roll for me to verify that I possessed the roll prior to the official release. They refuse to cancel anything that isn't mailed. Any ideas anyone?
Jim L.
Jim,
As long as you stick a .44 cent stamp on the roll, many post offices should have no qualms about using the red round cancel on it. I guess some postal employees might never have heard of this sort of thing, but more often than not it should be fine.
I know my local post office would have no problem with it at all. They would even let me do it myself!
Here is an article from another reader about getting rolls canceled at the post office.
http://news.coinupdate.com/how-to-make-your-own-first-day-coin-products/
It might just take some persistence or finding the right postal worker.
Jim,
Persistence and the right postal office and the right postal worker is key. Its not really a question of whether its legal or not. It is legal. For many postal workers, it just seems unusual and silly, and thus their first instinct is to say no. Showing them an example roll from previous issues helps. Informing them of past Lincoln roll ceremonies across the country might also help.
I had to drive to three different local post offices the first time I created my own rolls. Of course this whole process is a ton easier at the actual ceremony release event, where they EXPECT this to happen.
Does anybody know if the rolls will be available at the US Mint stores in DC that day (just as they were for each of the four 2009 releases)?
I would imagine they will be available in D.C. too.
Does anyone here plan to go to the Springfield IL ceremony? I'm wondering if it would be worth the effort to get some rolls cancelled there, seeing as how they are already out. It seems like it would be kind of pointless from that perspective. The history part of the ceremony can't really have a price put on it I guess, but the rolls could be secondary market losers, cancel or not. Any thoughts or predictions?
I have your same concerns... if the Mint is releasing them willy-nilly BEFORE the official launch event, it does seem like canceling them there at the ceremony doesn't mean as much. With the other Lincoln designs, I don't think I'm aware of the Mint allowing them to be released any sooner than the day of the official launch ceremony.
Kind of makes you angry that Puerto Rico gets the 2010 pennies first and here in the States a lot of us are still waiting to get any rolls from 2009 at the bank. The seller on eBay is going to make a killing...... I have a set of four cancelled Lincoln rolls from each of last year's releases, all with the Lincoln stamps, but I see no reason to get these for 2010. The Shield design is going to be the design for many years to come.
Very Cool looking coin. Abe looks handsome as always!
The shield is so amateurish. Looks like the designer was just learning how to use the text warp tool in Adobe Illustrator. They should have outsourced the design work to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. How does Canada come up with such cool designs?
Puerto Rico also got first crack at the 2009-P nickels and dimes. What gives?!
Concerning the shield design on the reverse side of the Lincoln penny...
The Lincoln memorial, although dated, was more aesthetically pleasing.
Sure, the shield may be significant, but artistically, it's a bomb.
I have to agree, the Memorial was better. We'll miss that design once the "new" factor of the shield wears off and we're stuck with it year after year.
Just back from four (count 'em) post offices before I found a clerk with a sense of humor. Little Asian lady, God bless her, "why you want to put stamp on". So I bought a Purple Heart stamp and low and behold. She thought I was a lunatic and I actually have to agree.
The other P.O.'s would not do it, stamp or no stamp, period. I should have chosen a stamp with a lighter backround as the date stamp is hard to read, though it is doable. Thanks for all the good advice, this just saved me a 450 mile round trip down to Springpatch, (as we call it) Illinoise (as the Easterners call it).
Jim L.
The new reverse is just a little to simple for my tastes. It represents very little and has no message. No solid theme. To me, it represents only half a Lincoln cent.
The Lincoln Half Cent. Ha Ha Ha
I think the reverse design was intended to resemble the 1786 Post Colonial New Jersey Coppers. However, post colonial and post modern don't seem to mix. It's just an odd looking coin that appears to be caught in a time warp. Collect them anyways - I'm sure they will change again soon.
I have to agree, odd. I thought it was the artist's sketch that looked bad, but seeing it in copper coated zinc...YUK!
Someone wake me up when the mint comes up with some new coins and coin sets under $100 worth collecting. See ya'all in 20 yrs. Nighty night.
Rip Van Winkle
Maybe they can dress up the reverse design each year...adding some wheat ears one year...an olive branch the next year...some stars after that...and so on...until they get it right. Could make for some nice varieties.
How about a hybrid of the two 50-year reverse designs? A slightly smaller Lincoln Memorial in the center with two wheat ears on left and right?
US coins just keep getting hit with the ugly stick. Nickels, Presidential dollars and now the penny. I am starting to be ashamed i collect something so ugly.
I disagree with those who don't like the design and say it has no meaning. In my opinion, it has an important message. It is the Union Shield with the words "E Pluribus Unum" (one from many) prominently featured. It represents the victory that Lincoln spent his entire presidency fighting for: Preservation of the Union.
From a design standpoint, its simplicity emphasizes the symbolism. It's a design that encourages us to think about and remember these ideals.
The new cent is much better than the hideous trolley car cent.
The Mint should sell rolls of the new pennies for collectors!
Unless the price of gold takes a serious upswing today, we should see the prices of gold coins drop at the Mint tomorrow! As long as tomorrows AM London Fix comes in at $1,124.25 or less, the prices will go down. Right now it's around $1,096, so we have some wiggle room.
If the prices DO go down, maybe that will help the Mint clear out the rest of the 2009 Proof Buffalos, as they will once again be at the issue price level of $1,360. I still don't think they will be all that great of a secondary market coin, though. The price levels they were sold at are way too high given the mintage level. There is presently no room for a profit markup. The 2006 proof coin only cost $800 the whole time it was sold, so selling it for $1,350 is a NICE markup. The 2009 coin sold from $1,360 to $1,460, so the room for profit is just not there. Gold will have to hit $1,800/oz to have the same effect.
Why not let the post office become the new distributor of mint coins? In India their post offices sells gold coins to the public and the system works well.
Our post offices are looking for new ideas.
Let them sell U.S. Mint coins.
Stamps and coins for the new decade...
Goldilocks
Here's a question for anyone who ordered the 2001 Sacagawea rolls that the mint is offering: has anyone else been finding 2000 coins mixed in with these? I opened up a roll yesterday and like 7 or 8 of the coins were 2000 (and in better condition than the 2001 coins). Is this a common mistake with mint rolls?
Well maybe the words "Preservation of the Union" should be on the design.
Last night on the HSN the two salesmen who look like Abbot and Castello kept saying that 2009 was the last year for the satin coins. I haven't read anywhere that that has happened. Even the mint site has the 2010 sets listed as satin. Are they misinformed or do they have inside information?
Michael, Can you find out if in fact the new 2010 Lincoln cents will be available in DC like all the 2009 were? Thank you
IMHO the reverse on the new penny in very high schoolish in design. Doesn't look like much thought went into it and it seems to be missing some design elements in the field. That's what I feel anyway. Not very much eye appeal at all.
To the January 26, 2010 3:50 PM poster. I ordered the same and yes I found several 2000 Sac's mixed in with the 2001's.
"Can you find out if in fact the new 2010 Lincoln cents will be available in DC like all the 2009 were?"
Sorry, I have no information on that yet. The US Mint will usually make an official announcement a few days ahead of the date. Whenever I receive some info, I will write a fresh post with the details.
I think the chances of having an exchange at the DC sites would be high.
Will you be able to buy rolls from the mint website? There is nothing on there about the new penny. I want to buy rolls but will not be able to make the launch. I know they are on ebay but what they are asking is too much for a 50 cent roll. Or will they be sold to banks and if so which ones so I can run and pick up some locally here in WI.?
Unfortunately, the Mint will not directly sell rolls of the new penny. I agree, though... I do wish they would have some way for collectors to get rolls of each circulating denomination (both mints). I know that one argument is they would be afraid that everyone would hit the Mint up directly for normal coinage (instead of the current orderly system where the Feds order it to dish out to the banks and the armored car companies). However, that is easily mitigated with their current system of charging a substantial enough premium that it wouldn't be worth getting the coins directly from the Mint unless you're a collector.
In any case, you won't be able to get the new pennies, unless you can get to the launch ceremony or you can find a bank or store that has rolls. And that just takes persistence. Otherwise, you're stuck with Ebay premiums.
The Mint is going to sell the pennies in the spring. Go to their website and then go to Pressroom and there you can read all about it. I some of you do not like the shield but it stands for everything we are here in America and how we got started with the 13 colonies that is what the strips refer to. Coins are stories.
I got two rolls of the 2010 Lincoln cents in the N. F. String & Son, Inc. wrappers and they are about 2 pennys longer than all my 2009 Lincoln cent rolls wrapped in the same wrappers. Are the 2010 coins a little thicker so 50 stack up higher to the heighth of almost two more cents. The 2009 will fit in plastic tubes but the 2010 wont. What does anyone know?
Barry Carpenter
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