Coin specifications and design
Design identification
Obverse: Abraham Lincoln portrait.
Reverse: A Union shield fills the reverse, with ONE CENT carried on a scroll across its lower portion.
U.S. Mint coin reference
Lincoln Shield Penny
Lincoln Shield Cent 2010-present Shield reverse Lincoln cents separated into their own guide.
Lincoln Union Shield cent notes
The Union Shield reverse entered production in 2010. Lyndall Bass designed the reverse and Joseph Menna sculpted it; the shield and draped ONE CENT scroll replaced the one-year Bicentennial designs of 2009.
Mint-mark context: Philadelphia circulation strikes normally carry no mint mark, except the 2017-P cent—the first Philadelphia-mint cent to display P. Denver coins carry D, and San Francisco produces proofs and selected numismatic issues.
Planchet and strike: The 2.50-gram copper-plated zinc planchet continues. Plating splits, zinc exposure, gas bubbles, and die deterioration can mimic added design elements, so doubled-die attribution requires repeatable hub doubling and documented die markers.