In 2009 the cent will get a one-year, four-coin commemorative program. It will mark the 100th anniversary of Lincoln being placed on the cent, and the 200th anniversary of his birth, as well as the 50th anniversary of the Lincoln Memorial being on the U.S penny.

This redesign was passed as part of the Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005, which also mandates that in 2009, numismatic cents will be issued for collectors that have the metallic copper content of cents minted in 1909.

The new one-cent reverse designs will be issued at approximately three-month intervals throughout 2009.

At the conclusion of the 2009 Lincoln Bicentennial One-Cent Program, the 2010 (and beyond) one-cent coin will feature a new permanent reverse design that will be emblematic of President Lincoln's preservation of the United States of America as a single and united country. Lincoln, however, will remain on the coin. The 2009 composition for circulating issues will be copper-plated zinc.

          

Here are the Four Categories & Winning Designs for the Lincoln Pennies:

1) Lincoln's birth and early childhood in Kentucky (1809-1816)

     Release Date: February 12, 2009 (Lincoln’s Birthday)

  


2) His formative years in Indiana (1816-1830)

     Release Date: May 14, 2009.

  

3) His professional life in Illinois (1830-1861)

     Release Date: August 13, 2009.

  

4) His presidency in Washington, DC (1861-1865)

     Release Date: November 12, 2009.

  


The United States Mint unveiled the design for the upcoming 2009 Lincoln Commemorative Silver Dollar. The unveiling took place at Soldier's National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It was part of the annual Dedication Day Ceremony on the 145th anniversary of Lincoln's delivery of the Gettysburg Address.

The obverse of the coin features a portrait of Abraham Lincoln designed by Justin Kunz and sculpted by Don Everhart. It was inspired by a sculpture of Lincoln created by Daniel Chester which resides in the Lincoln Memorial.

The reverse of the coin prominently features the final words of the famous Gettysburg Address. The words are surrounded by a laurel wreath and Lincoln's signature is incused within a banner below the wreath.

The 2009 Lincoln Commemorative Silver Dollars will be issued in a quantity of up to 500,000 coins and sold throughout 2009. Pricing and the official release date have not yet been announced.

Below is the design of the 2009 Lincoln Commemorative Dollar Coin: (Release Date: February 12, 2009)




The 2010 Cent Design:



The same legislation which authorized the four different reverse designs for the 2009 Lincoln Cent also provides for a new reverse design in 2010. This design will be "emblematic of of President Lincoln's preservation of the United States of America as a single and united country." The new design is expected to be used as the permanent reverse design for the Lincoln Cent for the foreseeable future.

• The Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee has chosen the shield design for the reverse of the 2010 Lincoln Cent. (LP-13 Design)

Below are a few links of the proposed 2010 cent designs:

http://www.coinnews.tv/New-2010-Cent-Reverse.htm

http://numismaster.com/ta/numis/Article.jsp?ad=article&ArticleId=6622

http://www.numismaticnews.net/article/New_reverse_in_2010/

http://coins.about.com/od/uscoins/ig/2010-Lincoln-Cent-Reverses/

There was a bill brought before the House of Representatives. It is called: H.R. 5512, the Coin Modernization and Taxpayer Savings Act of 2008.

• The House debated on the legislation and voted to change the metallic composition of the penny and 5-cent nickel to a less expensive copper-colored steel.

• Although the prices of copper, zinc and nickel metals in coins have declined in recent months, the penny and 5-cent nickel still cost more to make than what they’re worth—resulting in a reported loss of about $100 million every year, or $1 billion over a decade.

• It now costs about 1.26 cents to make the penny and about 7.7 cents to make the nickel.

House bill “H.R. 5512, the Coin Modernization and Taxpayer Savings Act of 2008” would seek to change those manufacturing costs by using copper-colored steal, which could cut the cost of making pennies down to about 0.7 cents each. But its recent passage in the House is no guarantee it’ll make its way to the White House for signing.
H.R. 5512 must still go through the Senate and then the President.

The Act Requires the one-cent coin (except for Lincoln Bicentennial Numismatic Pennies) to be produced primarily of steel and treated to impart a copper color to its appearance similar to one-cent coins produced of a copper-zinc alloy.

The bill was introduced to the house on Feb 28, 2008
The bill passed the House on May 8, 2008
The bill was received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs on May 12, 2008 (Still waiting on vote from the Senate)
The President will need to sign the bill to become law.





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