2010

The 2010 Lincoln Shield cent introduced the permanent reverse design that replaced the four bicentennial reverses of 2009 and, before them, the Lincoln Memorial reverse used from 1959 to 2008. Lyndall Bass designed the new reverse featuring a union shield with thirteen vertical stripes, representing the original thirteen colonies and the states that held the nation together during the Civil War. A horizontal scroll across the shield bears the inscription "ONE CENT," and the motto "E PLURIBUS UNUM" appears above. The shield imagery connects directly to Lincoln's legacy as the president who preserved the Union.

The Philadelphia Mint struck nearly two billion of these cents in the first year of the new design, signaling a return to normal production volumes after the lower mintages of the 2009 bicentennial year. The obverse retains Victor David Brenner's 1909 portrait of Lincoln, making the cent's front design over a century old. The coin weighs 2.5 grams and measures 19.05 millimeters in diameter, specifications unchanged since the switch to copper-plated zinc in 1982.