1909-S 1C VDB MS67 Red PCGS....

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1909-S VDB Lincoln Cent, MS67 Red
Sought-After Key Date
Tied for Finest at PCGS

1909-S 1C VDB MS67 Red PCGS. By the early years of the 20th century, Victor David Brenner, a native of Latvia who immigrated to the United States in 1890, had developed a reputation as a talented engraver. He was chosen to design silver medal issued by the American Numismatic and Archaeological Society to commemorate the 1902 visit of Crown Prince Heinrich of Prussia, produced a rectangular plaque of the navigator Amerigo Vespucci in 1903, and in 1907 created a round medal and rectangular bronze plaque of Lincoln in observance of the upcoming centennial of the slain president's birth.

Soon afterward Brenner proposed a design for a Panama Canal medal depicting Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt viewed the design favorably and chose Brenner to execute it. While posing for the medal, the two developed a rapport. Roosevelt particularly admired Brenner's Lincoln plaque design. Keep in mind, this was at a time when his "pet crime" of a coinage redesign was under way, showing preference for outside artists at the expense of Charles Barber.

By January 1909, Roosevelt had agreed for Brenner to design a portrait of Lincoln for an as-yet-unspecified denomination. Brenner proposed the cent, as quoted in The Numismatist:

"You see the life of a coin is 25 years, according to law, and the time for the cent and the five-cent piece has expired. It seemed to me that the nickel already had a very practical design, and so I turned my attention to what would be most fitting for the one-cent coin."

Roosevelt left office before the Brenner cents circulated. New dies were expected in the spring of 1909, but newly inaugurated President William Howard Taft suggested the addition of the motto IN GOD WE TRUST on the obverse (reminiscent of Saint-Gaudens' double eagle). There was also confusion about the presence of Brenner's name, V.D. BRENNER, on the obverse. Mint Director Frank Leach deemed it obtrusive, and Brenner changed the design to display his full name, BRENNER, spelled out along the lower reverse rim in tiny script letters.

Apparently, that was still too much for Charles Barber to handle. Roger Burdette explains that Barber "first made a galvano of Brenner's reverse model then cut a master hub (raised design) on the Janvier reducing lathe. He then carefully ground off the raised word BRENNER and struck a master die (raised design)" into which the chief engraver manually cut the V.D.B. initials.

Once production of the new design had begun in July 1909, the Philadelphia Mint struck some 28.4 million business strikes and San Francisco 484,000 pieces before the decision was made to remove even the small VDB initials. The rampant rumors that the Mint would recall the coins proved untrue, but both the P- and S-mint cents were much hoarded as a result. The popularity of the San Francisco Mint issue remains unabated today and the 1909-S VDB is still the most sought-after issue of the series.

This spectacular Superb Gem exhibits impeccably preserved original red surfaces, with blazing mint luster and no trace of carbon. The design elements are sharply detailed throughout and the all-important designer's initials are bold. This coin possesses a combination of high technical grade, outstanding eye appeal, and tremendous historical significance. It should find a home in the finest collection or Registry Set. Population: 14 in 67 Red, 0 finer (7/16).
(Registry values: N7079)

Coin Index Numbers: (NGC ID# 22B2, PCGS# 2428, GSID# 1801)

Metal: 95% Copper, 5% Tin and Zinc
Weight: 3.11 grams
Weight: 0.10422oz
Mintage: 484,000

View Certification Details from PCGS