WASHINGTON, Nov. 13 (UPI) -- The U.S. Mint says it has issued the fourth 2009 Lincoln Bicentennial One-Cent Coin in honor of Abraham Lincoln, the nation's 16th president.
The U.S. Mint said in a statement the release of the newest Lincoln penny was celebrated Thursday at a ceremony at the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial in Washington.
Among those attending the event were U.S. Mint Director Ed Moy, Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Executive Director Eileen R. Mackevich and Donald R. Kennon, chief historian of the U.S. Capitol Historical Society.
"The fourth and final 2009 Lincoln Bicentennial One-Cent Coin design evokes the historical challenges of Abraham Lincoln's presidency," Moy said. "The image of an incomplete U.S. Capitol symbolizes the unfinished business of a nation torn apart by slavery and the Civil War."
The mint said beside the partially completed Capitol dome, the penny includes a famous image of Lincoln created by sculptor Victor David Brenner.
This year's four special pennies honor the centennial of the 1909 issuance of the original Lincoln penny, as well as the honor the bicentennial of Lincoln's 1809 birthday.
