II 

108TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2817 

To provide for the redesign of the reverse of the Lincoln 1-cent coin in 

2009 in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the birth of President Abraham Lincoln. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 21, 2004 

Mr. DURBIN (for himself, Mr. BUNNING, Mr. BAYH, and Mr. FITZGERALD) 

introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 

Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs 

A BILL 

To provide for the redesign of the reverse of the Lincoln 

1-cent coin in 2009 in commemoration of the 200th 

anniversary of the birth of President Abraham Lincoln. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Abraham Lincoln Bi5 centennial 1-Cent Coin Redesign Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 The Congress finds as follows: 

8 (1) Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President, was 

9 one of the Nation’s greatest leaders, demonstrating 
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1 true courage during the Civil War, one of the great2 est crises in the Nation’s history. 

3 (2) Born of humble roots in Hardin County, 

4 Kentucky, on February 12, 1809, Abraham Lincoln 

5 rose to the Presidency through a combination of 

6 honesty, integrity, intelligence, and commitment to 

7 the United States. 

8 (3) With the belief that all men are created 

9 equal, Abraham Lincoln led the effort to free all 

10 slaves in the United States. 

11 (4) Abraham Lincoln had a generous heart, 

12 with malice toward none and with charity for all. 

13 (5) Abraham Lincoln gave the ultimate sacrifice 

14 for the country he loved, dying from an assassin’s 

15 bullet on April 15, 1865. 

16 (6) All Americans could benefit from studying 

17 the life of Abraham Lincoln, for Lincoln’s life is a 

18 model for accomplishing the ‘‘American dream’’ 

19 through honesty, integrity, loyalty, and a lifetime of 

20 education. 

21 (7) The year 2009 will be the bicentennial anni22 versary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln. 

23 (8) Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky, 

24 grew to adulthood in Indiana, achieved fame in Illi25 nois, and led the nation in Washington, D.C. 
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1 (9) The so-called ‘‘Lincoln cent’’ was introduced 

2 in 1909 on the 100th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth, 

3 making the obverse design the most enduring on the 

4 nation’s coinage. 

5 (10) President Theodore Roosevelt was so im6 pressed by the talent of Victor David Brenner that 

7 the sculptor was chosen to design the likeness of 

8 President Lincoln for the coin, adapting a design 

9 from a plaque Brenner had prepared earlier. 

10 (11) In the nearly 100 years of production of 

11 the ‘‘Lincoln cent’’, there have been only 2 designs 

12 on the reverse: the original, featuring 2 wheat-heads 

13 in memorial style enclosing mottoes, and the current 

14 representation of the Lincoln Memorial in Wash15 ington, D.C. 

16 (12) On the occasion of the bicentennial of 

17 President Lincoln’s birth and the 100th anniversary 

18 of the production of the Lincoln cent, it is entirely 

19 fitting to issue a series of 1-cent coins with designs 

20 on the reverse that are emblematic of the 4 major 

21 periods of President Lincoln’s life. 

22 SEC. 3. REDESIGN OF LINCOLN CENT FOR 2009. 

23 (a) IN GENERAL.—During the year 2009, the Sec24 retary of the Treasury shall issue 1-cent coins in accord25 ance with the following design specifications: 
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1 (1) OBVERSE.—The obverse of the 1-cent coin 

2 shall continue to bear the Victor David Brenner like3 ness of President Abraham Lincoln. 

4 (2) REVERSE.—The reverse of the coins shall 

5 bear 4 different designs each representing a dif6 ferent aspect of the life of Abraham Lincoln, such 

7 as— 

8 (A) his birth and early childhood in Ken9 tucky; 

10 (B) his formative years in Indiana; 

11 (C) his professional life in Illinois; and 

12 (D) his presidency, in Washington, D.C. 

13 (b) ISSUANCE OF REDESIGNED LINCOLN CENTS IN

14 2009.— 

15 (1) ORDER.—The 1-cent coins to which this 

16 section applies shall be issued with 1 of the 4 de17 signs referred to in subsection (a)(2) beginning at 

18 the start of each calendar quarter of 2009. 

19 (2) NUMBER.—The Secretary shall prescribe, 

20 on the basis of such factors as the Secretary deter21 mines to be appropriate, the number of 1-cent coins 

22 that shall be issued with each of the designs selected 

23 for each calendar quarter of 2009. 

24 (c) DESIGN SELECTION.—The designs for the coins 

25 specified in this section shall be chosen by the Secretary— 
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1 (1) after consultation with the Abraham Lin2 coln Bicentennial Commission and the Commission 

3 of Fine Arts; and 

4 (2) after review by the Citizens Coinage Advi5 sory Committee. 

6 SEC. 4. REDESIGN OF REVERSE OF 1-CENT COINS AFTER 

7 2009. 

8 The design on the reverse of the 1-cent coins issued 

9 after December 31, 2009, shall bear an image emblematic 

10 of President Lincoln’s preservation of the United States 

11 of America as a single and united country. 

12 SEC. 5. NUMISMATIC PENNIES WITH THE SAME METALLIC 

13 CONTENT AS THE 1909 PENNY. 

14 The Secretary of the Treasury shall issue 1-cent coins 

15 in 2009 with the exact metallic content as the 1-cent coin 

16 contained in 1909 in such number as the Secretary deter17 mines to be appropriate for numismatic purposes. 

18 SEC. 6. SENSE OF THE CONGRESS. 

19 It is the sense of the Congress that the original Victor 

20 David Brenner design for the 1-cent coin was a dramatic 

21 departure from previous American coinage that should be 

22 reproduced, using the original form and relief of the like23 ness of Abraham Lincoln, on the 1-cent coins issued in 

24 2009. 

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