Tag Archives: Lincoln Cent

Lincoln – Kennedy Cent

Posted on March 22, 2013 by harveyclay | Leave a comment

At the last Bel Mar Coin Club Monthly Meeting my son was given a 1974 uncirculated Lincoln Cent with a profile image of President John F. Kennedy engraved onto the Cent so the 2 Presidents are facing each other on the Obverse of the coin. (see the scanned image below)

Here are the Astonishing Coincidences with these 2 Presidents:

Lincoln was elected in 1860; Kennedy in 1960

There are 7 letters in each last name

Both men were slain on a Friday in the presence of their wives

Both were directly concerned with Civil Rights

Kennedy’s secretary named Lincoln warned him not to go to Dallas;

Lincoln’s secretary named Kennedy warned him not to go to the Theater.

Both of their successor’s were named Johnson; Andrew Johnson was born in 1808, and Lyndon Johnson was born in 1908.

Booth and Oswald were both Southerners favoring unpopular ideas.

Oswald shot Kennedy from a Warehouse and hid in a Theater.

Booth shot Lincoln in a Theater and hid in a Warehouse.

Pretty Astonishing!

Beginner Coin Collecting – Part 2

Posted on May 29, 2012 by harveyclay | 3 comments

Part 2 – Which Coins to collect?

In order to keep these blog posts to a reasonable size, “Part 2 – Which Coins to collect?” may need to become it’s own 5 or 6 part series in the future. For now it will be an overview of US collectible coins and how to get started.

Certainly personal taste, budget, the age of the collector, and time will be a factor for the soon to be serious collector. Here is an example: For my son’s 8th birthday we had a “Treasure Hunt” party and rented a pavilion at a nearby park and hid puzzle pieces around the park; each piece leading to the next clue in the treasure hunt. Each child received a beginner coin collecting kit and some US coins as their share of the Treasure.

From that introduction to coin collecting my son has taken a liking to Lincoln Cents and has a growing collection 2 years later. Each Coin Show we attend he searches for the missing Cents to complete his collection, and he looks to find a better grade of Cent for the ones he has collected. For the young collector, The Whitman Coin Expo has a “Kids Korner” and interested boys & girls can search jars of Lincoln Cents to add to their collection. Each participant is also given a Whitman Lincoln Cent Coin Folder to help them get started with their own Collection!

If Lincoln Cents don’t catch your attention, perhaps the older Indian Head Cents, or Buffalo Nickels will be to your liking. When I started collecting, around the same time as my son, I decided to collect dimes. It has been a lot of fun trying to get every year of Mercury and Roosevelt dime. There are also older Barber Dimes which can be fairly easy to collect in the lower grades. Franklin Half Dollars, Kennedy Half Dollars, and Liberty Half dollars are popular with several of the Bel Mar Coin Club members. For the serious Collector, with a bigger budget, you might want to collect Silver Dollars.

Whatever your tastes, Coin Shows are a great place to find the coins you are looking for. If you cannot find a show near you, or it is too far out on the Calendar, check our Links Page or search for a reputable Coin Dealer near you. Whitman is a great place for Coin Albums, books and other supplies. Our Links Page also lists other resources we have found reliable.

Watch for Part 3 or future Posts on Collecting for more detailed information.

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Posted in Beginner Coin Collecting

Tagged Beginner, Coin Collecting, Lincoln Cent, US Coins

Lincoln Cent Historic Coin Flips

Posted on April 21, 2012 by harveyclay | 1 comment

How do you engage kids in Coin Collecting today?

How about combining a bit of US History with Coin Collecting?

“History – ugh!” you may hear from the kids, but what a concept!

Let’s start with the Lincoln Cent. Abraham Lincoln was born in 1809. In 1909 the US Mint broke new ground by allowing Victor David Brenner to design a coin with the image of an actual person on it! According to historical documents, it was President Theodore Roosevelt who had the courage to commission the Lincoln Cent and to order the Mint to break new ground by having the image of a former President on the Coin.

There is much history around the inaugural Lincoln Cent, and even more due to the controversy of Mr. Brenner’s initials on the coin!

Here is a link to the full Wikipedia Page on Mr. Brenner and his commissioning by President Roosevelt:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_David_Brenner

The US Mint removed Mr. Brenner’s initials from the dies that struck the Lincoln Cents halfway through the year. Because of this, the 1909 V.D.B. and the 1909-S V.D.B. are some of the rarest Cents today!

Here is a fact some may not know: a 1909-S (San Francisco Mint) V.D.B. Lincoln Cent in “Almost Good” AG3 condition is worth $650.00 Retail, and the same coin in “Mint State 67 condition still having its Red color” (MS-67R) is worth up to $100,000.00 dollars! Click here to see this beautiful cent!

Below is a picture of a sheet of 20 2″ x 2″ coin flips designed to hold and display any collectible coin. One of our members has printed 1.5″ x 1.5″ photos of significant events in history from each of the years of the Lincoln Cent, beginning with 1909. Now young coin collectors can learn a little about United States History as they build their coin collection!

If you have a young collector in your family, think of ways you can incorporate education with collecting. If your favorite coin to collect is a Buffalo Nickel, or a Mercury or Roosevelt Dime, you could also print the small 1.5″ x 1.5″ pictures to include in the flips. You can order perforated paper stock and set up a printing program within Microsoft Office to help you with the printing. If you would like advice, or need help doing this, just contact the Bel Mar Coin Club using the Comments or Reply form, or check the About Us page for contact information.