How to Acquire a New Lincoln Penny
In memory of Abraham Lincoln, the U.S. Mint debuted the Lincoln penny in 1909, exactly 100 years after his birth. Due to their ubiquity, Lincoln pennies are among the most frequently collected coins, and some are worth up to $250,000. From 1909 to 1958, the backs of Lincoln pennies were decorated with wheat, whereas from 1959 to 2008, the backs featured the Lincoln Memorial. In 2009, for the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth, the U.S. Mint released many back designs that highlight different sections of Lincoln's life. There are many ways to get a new Lincoln penny from 1909 to present.
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Instructions
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Visit a bank and ask for rolls of new pennies. When the U.S. Mint makes new bills and coins, banks are usually the first to receive them. Ask a bank teller if there are new pennies available. If not, find out when they will be available. If so, exchange a $1, $5 or $10 bill for the equivalent amount in new pennies.
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Seek rolls of pennies from credit unions. Like banks, credit unions also have collections of new bills and coins. After finding out if there are new pennies available, exchange a paper note for rolls of new pennies.
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Ask for change in pennies when you are at the store, instead of getting change in dimes, nickels or quarters. If there are not many customers waiting behind you, store clerks usually do not mind doing this. However, if the store is crowded, return at a less busy time.
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Use the Internet or coin dealers to find new pennies from past years. New Lincoln pennies do not just include newly released pennies from the current year, because there are pennies from the 1920s, '30s, '40s and other decades that are in uncirculated condition. These pennies are usually framed in glass. Since they have never been used, they are considered to be new or in "mint condition." To find such pennies, visit eBay, a coin dealer or coin-collecting websites such as Pennies.com. Join coin-collecting forums, such as Cointalk.com, to get advice from other people who collect coins.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit pennies fading away image by Stephen Orsillo from Fotolia.com
