The Rabbit Hole of the 1909 Lincoln Wheat Cent
by Shawn Tew (Author), Blaine Neupert (Author), Jay Painter (Author), Pete Apple (Editor)

For over a century the transition of the 1909 United States minor coinage has been studied and written about. Most all written publications base their writing on the documents stored at one of the National Archive locations. Theories and speculations have come and gone, some proven, some not, but in the end, they are all about the same information. The ideas contained in this publication started as theories but then were explored with science and facts. A few individuals helped with this exploration that led to the information presented in these pages. Many publications provide a summary of the story that unfolded in 1909 between the mint, the sculptors, and the public opinion. The intent of this book is to explore the anomalies that are not normally, if ever, explored.

The interplay between Victor D. Brenner and Charles Barber is fascinating, as the efforts to bring artistry to the nation's coinage come into conflict with the quotidian concerns of day-to-day coinage production. Tew summarizes the known varieties for the 1909 and 1910 cents, one of which reuses a reverse from 1909. Tew leaves no stone unturned and integrates test results from the Center for Advanced Microscopy at Michigan State University, in order to analyze the relief profiles of the reverse dies. The work concludes with analysis of a remarkable hoard of Lincoln cents put away in 1909 and not fully examined until today.

Image: The infamous VDB initials on the reverse of the 1909 Lincoln cent, engraved by Victor D. Brenner and reworked by Charles Barber

For more information, or to order, see:
The Rabbit Hole of the 1909 Lincoln Wheat Cent [Print Replica](https://www.amazon.com/Rabbit-Hole-1909-Lincoln-Wheat-ebook/dp/B0CDHKT891)

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
THE RABBIT HOLE OF THE 1909 WHEAT CENT(https://www.coinbooks.org/v26/esylum_v26n30a10.html)