U.S. Mint Creates Shiny, New Penny

U.S. Mint reveals new design

The U.S. mint is releasing a new penny — which  features a new design honoring the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln — into circulation today.

This design is the second of four new penny designs that the U.S. Mint is releasing this year to honor Lincoln’s 200th birthday.

The new design

The new penny, which was unveiled in a ceremony this morning in Indiana, features a picture of Lincoln reading a book as he takes a break from rail splitting.

The front of the penny will remain unchanged, still showing the profile of the Lincoln bust. The first honorary design was released in February and features a picture of the log cabin where Lincoln grew up in Kentucky.

A penny saved

There is a bit of controversy surrounding the new penny designs, as it costs the U.S. Mint more than 1 cent to make each penny. Many Americans agree that the penny is becoming obsolete and useless as it has so  little value now. It doesn’t make sense for the U.S. Mint to have to take out installment loans to pay for making money.

Many taxpayers say that , considering it costs more to make a penny than it is worth, the U.S. Mint making more is not a spending decision.

The other side of the coin

Of course, there are also plenty of people in favor of pennies, particularly ones that honor Lincoln.

Historians, politicians and many others are fascinated by Lincoln. In English, only Jesus and Shakespeare have had more books written about them.

Future designs

Two more new penny designs that depict different stages of Lincoln’s life will be released this year. ... click here to read the rest of the article titled "U.S. Mint Creates Shiny, New Penny"