Coin specifications and design
Design identification
Obverse: Abraham Lincoln portrait.
Reverse: Union shield with 13 vertical stripes, a horizontal bar bearing E PLURIBUS UNUM, and a scroll inscribed ONE CENT.
U.S. Mint coin reference
2010–Present: Lincoln Union Shield Cent
2010–Present: Lincoln Union Shield Cent history
The Union Shield reverse debuted in 2010 after the four 2009 Bicentennial designs. Lyndall Bass created the shield composition and Joseph Menna sculpted it, while Victor D. Brenner's Lincoln portrait remained on the obverse.
The copper-plated zinc cent weighs 2.50 grams. Shield lines, date, mintmark, plating quality, and documented die varieties are the useful identification points.
2010–present Union Shield cent diagnostics
The reverse shows a Union shield with a horizontal bar above 13 vertical stripes and a scroll bearing ONE CENT. It represents Lincoln's preservation of the United States as a single union and is distinct from both the Memorial and 2009 Bicentennial reverse families.
Design credits: Lyndall Bass created the reverse design and Joseph Menna sculpted it. Victor D. Brenner's Lincoln portrait remains on the obverse in its modern hub form.
Attribution: The 2017-P is the only regular Philadelphia cent of this period with a P mint mark. On alleged varieties, separate true hub doubling from plating disturbance, die deterioration, and strike doubling on the copper-plated zinc planchet.