2010-D Lincoln Shield Cent

The 2010-D Lincoln Shield cent was the Denver Mint's first production of the new Shield reverse. Denver struck over two billion cents that year, slightly exceeding Philadelphia's output. The "D" mintmark appears on the obverse below the date, a placement consistent with Denver's Lincoln cents dating back to 1911, when the facility first produced the denomination.

The Shield reverse designed by Lyndall Bass gave the Lincoln cent a fresh visual identity after decades of the Memorial design. The thirteen stripes on the shield mirror the stripes on the American flag and reference the original colonies whose union Lincoln fought to preserve. The horizontal banner reading "ONE CENT" anchors the design, while "E PLURIBUS UNUM" arches above the shield. Denver's 2010 production of over two billion cents reflected the economy's continuing demand for small change, though electronic transactions were steadily reducing the cent's role in daily commerce. The coin remains the lowest denomination in active U.S. coinage.