TKe CHICAGO BANKER
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Entered as Second-Class Matter January 15, 1903, at the Post Office at Chicago, Illinois, under Act of March 3, 1879
AUGUST 28, 1909
Lincoln Cent Like Coin of Old
NOTES FROM THE SUMMER RESORTS.
"AN AIRSHIP PASSED OVER THIS PLACE THE OTHER DAY, CAUSING MOMENTARY CONFUSION״—MACKINAC ITEM,
in 1808 a radical change was made in the obverse design.
The head of Liberty was now faced to the left and represented with bound hair. On her forehead was a diadem inscribed “Liberty.” Around the border appeared thirteen stars. This design lasted until 1816, when a new style of Liberty appeared, not quite so handsome as its predecessor.
The latter design with minor alterations continued in use until 1857, when the flying eagle design was adopted. The latter continued for two years and then the first of the Indian head cents appeared in the latter part of 1858. This was the design of Mr. Longacre and has been used continuously up to the present time with slight modifications.
The Indian head on all the coins of this design have faced to the left. The head of Lincoln on the new cent faces to the right. This is in accordance with a long established custom among (Continued on page 31)
the word “Liberty” in large letters above and the date below. On the reverse was the inscription “United States of America,” and in the center the words “One Cent” surrounded by a circle "of thirteen links. This chain design did not meet with favor, and in the same year the wreath design was adopted in its place, which in general style was continued until the old-fashioned large cent was discontinued in 1857. Another form of the wreath was used on the white metal cent of 1857, and the inscription “United States of America” was placed around the representation of the flying eagle on the obverse.
In the latter part of 1793 a Liberty cap and pole were placed alongside the head of Liberty, which style lasted until 1795, in which year the lettered edge was adopted.
In 1796 the same general form was continued, the cap and pole were omitted and the hair of Liberty was tied with a ribbon, the bust being partly draped. From 1797 until 1807 no material change was made in the design of the cent, but
The new Lincoln cent shows more innovations than any other United States coin that has appeared in recent years in both design and inscription, and yet some of its features are only revivals of details used on coins when the country was in its infancy.
In adding the motto “E Pluribus Unum” to the Lincoln cent a time honored device is once more restored to American copper coins. The copper cents of several of the states of the Confederation bore this motto; in fact they were the first coins to show it. Among the states were New York and New Jersey, the motto first appearing on the cent of the latter state in 1786 and in New York in 1787.
Then, too, the word “Liberty” has come back to its old place on the obverse of the new cent. This word was a favorite with the old engravers of cents and the only inscription borne by the obverse of the cents first issued in 1793 and up to 1808. Then a change in design was made and the word was taken from the border of the coin and placed on the diadem of Liberty, where it remained until 1857, when the white metal flying eagle cent took the place of the familiar head of Liberty. It was revived on the Indian head cent, but placed in minute letters on the band of the headdress of feathers.
The Lincoln cent is the first coin of the denomination to bear the motto “In God We Trust.” This motto is no stranger,, however, upon copper coins, as the copper-nickel 2-cent piece issued from 1864 to 1873 was the first of all the United States coins to bear it. The dime, half dime, silver 3-cent piece and nickel 3-cent piece have never borne the motto.
The old 5-c.ent nickel piece with a shield on the obverse bore the motto, and when a change in design was contemplated in 1882, the designers placed the motto over the head of Liberty, which was like that on the nickel now in use. The motto was discarded when the new design was adopted in 1883 and was replaced by a circle of thirteen stars.
On one of the reverse designs made at the mint in 1882 the field bore a large Roman numeral “V.,” surrounded by a wreath, and at the top was the motto “In God We Trust” in very small letters. This design also met with disapproval, and when the new nickel was adopted it was found that the motto had been altogether abandoned, its place being taken by “E Pluribus Unum.”
Another return to the form of old days was the placing of the title “United States of America” on the reverse of the cent instead of the obverse, where it had been for so many years. All the large copper cents showed the title on the reverse. It was transferred to the obverse when the Indian head was adopted in 1858.
The cent has not seen many changes of design when one considers that it has appeared more regularly than any other United States coin, having made its appearance each year from 1793, the first year of the issue, up to the present time, with the single exception of the year 1815.
The first design showed a head of Liberty facing to the right, with loosely flowing hair,