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February 12th marks 206 years since Abraham Lincoln was born in a log cabin in Kentucky. It’s hard to fathom how the world has changed since then. To this day, Lincoln remains the most popular president on currency, with both the Lincoln Cent and the $5 bill bearing his likeness. But aside from the Lincoln currency we’re all familiar with, Lincoln has been featured on some lesser-known U.S. currency as well. Here are some of the more uncommon pieces of currency featuring honest Abe.
1863 Greenback $10 Bill
One of Lincoln’s many accomplishments in office was pushing forward legislation to allow paper currency. The Greenback set of U.S. paper currency featured a wide assortment of different designs and denominations. One of these bills, printed in 1863, featured Lincoln on the front. Frederick Girsch designed Lincoln’s portrait. The $10 bill was green, as the name implied, and the design included state-of-the-art counterfeiting technology for the time period.
1918 Illinois State Commemorative Half-Dollar Coin
In 1818, Illinois officially became the 21st U.S. state. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the occasion, a commemorative half-dollar was issued. The half-dollar also honored the 16th president. Beginning in 1834, Lincoln served in the Illinois state legislature. The obverse side of the half-dollar features a portrait of Lincoln, which was designed by George T. Morgan. The portrait is based on a statue in Springfield, Illinois, sculpted by Andrew O’Connor. The reverse was designed by John Sincock and is based on the Illinois State Seal.
2009 Commemorative Silver $1 Coin
Six years ago, on February 12, 2009, the U.S. Mint issued an Abraham Lincoln Commemorative Silver Dollar. The occasion? It was the bicentennial of Lincoln’s birth. The obverse design is based on the Lincoln Memorial’s sculpture of Lincoln, which was sculpted by Daniel Chester French. The U.S. Mint’s master designer, Justin Kunz, was responsible for the design of the Silver $1 Lincoln Commemorative Coin, while U.S. Mint Sculptor-Engraver Don Everhart did the honors of sculpting the coin.
Astonishingly, this isn’t even the complete list of Lincoln currency! In addition to the listed pieces, the Lincoln cent, and the $5 bill, even more Lincoln coinage has been minted. In 2003, Illinois’ state quarter featured a portrait of the young Lincoln, and in 2010, a $1 presidential coin with Lincoln’s likeness was issued. When you consider the currency featuring statues of the 16th president, the list gets even longer. When it comes to U.S. coins and currency, Lincoln is king!
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