Prior to the early 20th century, specific individuals were not depicted on American coins. The Lincoln penny is the oldest continuously-produced coin in the United States and is among the longest-running designs in the world. But there is also this: Lincoln pennies have been produced since 1909 when they became the first U.S. It should come as no surprise that there would be such a large number of the coins, due in part to the small denomination of the penny.
It has been estimated that there are as many as 22 billion Lincoln cents in existence today. As Americans have become reluctant to handle metal coins for fear of transmitting the coronavirus, coins have been filling up jars in homes around the country and not being recirculated.Īmong the coins not making the rounds are the ubiquitous Lincoln penny. Recent news stories have told of a coin shortage in some parts of the United States.
