Those of you who still use the penny as currency may soon notice America’s 1-cent coin has gotten a facelift, according to a story at MSN Money.
The U.S. Mint has changed the design for the reverse — or “tails” — side of the 2010 Lincoln Cent, which entered circulation on Feb. 11 (everywhere but Puerto Rico, which received the new penny in late January). Michael White from the U.S. Mint says penny inventory is very high, however, so you may not see a new penny right away.
The U.S. Mint kicked off the release of the new penny during a ceremony at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Ill. The design was chosen out of 18 candidates.
The penny’s new reverse side features a union shield with 13 vertical stripes and a scroll draped across reading “One Cent.”
The 2010 penny follows the four different reverse designs, each one depicting a stage of Lincoln’s life, used on the 2009 Lincoln pennies. The special pennies were produced last year to commemorate the bicentennial of Lincoln’s birth and the 100th anniversary of the Lincoln Cent.
Photo by coinnews.