1909-S VDB Lincoln Cent: There are few coins in the U.S. series that inspire as much interest among collectors as does the 1909-S VDB Lincoln cent.
This modest coin, so simply marked with the designer’s initials on the reverse, embodies all things new and scarce, controversial and storied that are the essence of numismatic legend.
1909-S VDB Lincoln Cent: Origins and Design
The Lincoln cent was introduced in 1909 on the 100th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth, and replaced the earlier Indian Head cent, which had further replaced the Flying Eagle cent that had been minted since 1856.
This was a first in American coinage—the portrait of a president appeared on a circulating U.S. coin for the first time and set a precedent that continues to this day.
For that historic design, the Mint chose sculptor Victor David Brenner, a Lithuanian-born artist who years earlier had made a Lincoln plaque that had caught the eye of President Theodore Roosevelt.
The obverse of Brenner’s design displayed a stately profile view of Lincoln facing to the right and the reverse displayed two wheat stalks flanking the denomination and country name for decades to come, right up until 1958.
The Controversial Initials
As was common practice in those days for artists, his initials—V.D.B.—were embossed in large letters on the reverse, in the center at the bottom.
It was standard for artists to sign their work in medallion-type designs and some European coinage, but unprecedented among American coins.
The arrival of the cents into circulation on August 2, 1909, brought a public outcry regarding Brenner’s initials, so prominently that newspapers carried editorials stating the issue was an abuse of the privilege given to the artist under such a commission.
Shortly thereafter Mint Director Frank Leach ordered the production stopped and the initials removed from the dies.
Some 28 million Examples from the Philadelphia Mint had been struck to this point, while San Francisco mint had only made 484,000—an instant rarity that would go on to become one of the most collected coins in American Numismatics.
Production Details
1909-S VDB Lincoln Cent- A number of considerations combined to explain the small number of 1909-S VDB cents struck:
The San Francisco mint did the larger coins and was that (for that time) state of the art. Weighing wasn’t even close to the time of math.
The offending initials caused filming to be shut down after only a few days.
Shipping logistics were such that the order to stop applying the initials made it to San Francisco before as many coins had been struck as in Philadelphia
The tiny mintage of 484,000 pieces constitutes a mere 0.44% of the number struck in Philadelphia at 28 million.
Many also survived as the first year of a new design and examples were hoarded by collectors, although most were later spent as the Great Depression made even such low-denomination coinage popular and valuable as pocket change.
Collecting Significance
The 1909-S VDB quickly earned its place as the key date in the Lincoln cent set, a designation it has held for more than 100 years.
But it’s so much more than a rarity – the coin offers a direct link to the birth of America’s longest-lived coin design and is at the center of an intriguing chapter in U.S. Mint history.
For decades of collectors, acquiring a 1909-S VDB has represented a numismatic rite of passage.
Hordes of young collectors started with pocket change and penny rolls, hoping to find one of these elusive treasures, though finds like these have become less likely as time goes by.
Market Values and Condition Census
1909-S VDB cents are very price sensitive when it comes to condition. Heavily circulated (Good-4), specimens trade hands for $700 to $900. In Very Fine, prices jump to $1,200-$1,500.
Uncirculated specimens sorely tempt the pursestrings, with MS-63 through MS-65 examples bringing decidedly non-sterling prices, running from $3,000-$10,000.
The very best specimens, MS-67 Red certified by third part grading services, have fetched in excess of $100,000 at auction.
The quantity of these gem pieces are quite scarce and there are less than 20 pieces confirmed at this top level with full original red.
Authentication Concerns
Due to its value the 1909-S VDB is one of the most counterfeited U.S. coins. Common deceptions include:
The addition of an “S” mintmark to the Philadelphia minted versions
Stamped V.D.B. initials added to 1909-S cents that are missing the initials
Producing an entirely fake sample
For serious collectors, examples certified by major grading services such as PCGS or NGC (in which coins are authenticated and graded and encapsulated in tamper-evident holders) are the authority.
Legacy and Cultural Impact
The history of the 1909-S VDB is about more than numismatics and the nation’s coinage. It is a familiar concept in numismatic literature and in fiction about collecting, and is frequently used as a catchword for the rare coins that unsuspectingly show up in everyday change.
Being the most famous key date of America’s most collected series, it has guaranteed interest from collectors both novice and seasoned throughout the years.
Ironically, Brenner’s controversial initials reappeared on the Lincoln cent in 1918, albeit in microscopic size, on the truncation of Lincoln’s shoulder and are still there to this day, a quiet vindication for the artist whose more obvious signature had sparked a firestorm.
1909-S VDB Lincoln Cent:
The 1909-S VDB Lincoln Cent exemplifies what is intellectually and historically interesting about collecting coins: the hubbub of art controversy, the scariness of scarcity, the significance of history, and the eternal possibility for discovery.
Now, as the Lincoln cent reaches its 115th anniversary, this key date still reigns as the king of the Lincoln cent collecting world, one of the most-interesting, best-known, and most-richly coveted rarities in the annals of American numismatics.