Time to remove Lincoln from the cent?

[WaxonWaxov]

Problem with putting a real person on a coin is that if you try to remove that person at a later time, you're going to upset someone.

 

Seems to me 2009 would be the logical year to make a change in regards to the cent. That way if people complained, the mint could respond "Lincoln got to be on the penny for one hundred years... it's someone else's turn now."

 

It would also set a precedent of "100 years" meaning the nickel could change in 2038, the dime in 2046, etc.

 

Thoughts?

 

(yes, this is the kind of stuff I think about)

 

[MunkyMan95]

Well Waxonwaxov, I guess we have something in common. I think about this stuff all the time! I rather like Lincoln on the cent, and even though he has the $5 bill also, I think he should remain there. Perhaps in 2009 the mint will change the obverse design to one similar to the current Jefferson nickels. The forward-facing variety that I personally love. I think Lincoln should stay, but perhaps a reverse change is in order? I find the memorial somewhat boring myself.

[zrlevin]

I say that it is enough with the dead people! We should have lady liberty back.

 

Don't forget, Lincoln is on both sides of the penny.

[WaxonWaxov]

and on the Illinois quarter, even though he's from Kentucky.

 

not to mention the Wright Brothers were from Ohio, not North Carolina.

[MunkyMan95]

As a North Carolinian, I believe that the Wright brothers should have been on our Quarter. Even though they were from Ohio, the historic flight took place at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

[braddick]

"Time to remove Lincoln from the cent?"

 

How about time to remove the cent from Lincoln (NE) and every other city in this nation.

 

The cent is spent.

[physics-fan3.14]

I am still undecided on the issue of getting rid of the cent altogether. But I agree, we are long since due for a change. As much as I hate dead people on our coins, the bigwigs seem to insist on having them. If we must have dead people, why not give Reagan a try? I would really like him to have the dime, but I wouldn't mind the cent as a consolation prize. That is, if we decide to even keep the thing.

[Larry Dreher]

I'm in favor of axing the cent. We don't have the half cent any more. In inflation adjusted terms, the cent is now worth way less than the half cent was when it was retired.

[pendragon1998]

I think we should sell the reverse of the cent to advertisers. Switch it every 6 months or so and charge them a fortune. Then we'd have coins like the Microsoft cent, the Coca Cola cent, the Toyota cent, etc. That ought to more than cover the expenses involved in minting the cents and would provide the mint some more income.

 

Sort of like TV ads: the commercials pay for the shows, and the cent ads would pay for the coinage. Then, we'll switch up the obverse designs on the cent to cover all the dead people and put designs like Liberty back onto the "silver" coins. Then, dump ol' Saccy from the dollar and get some actual symbolic designs back on that as well. And while they're at that one, change the composition of the dollar to something that doesn't spot up so badly the moment it leaves the mint. Ugh. Eliminate the dollar bill while we're at it.

 

(The above is what you can expect to be implemented in my new world order.)

[MunkyMan95]

Can the president decide all this? Or is it up to the legislators and the mint director to decide?

[WaxonWaxov]

As a North Carolinian, I believe that the Wright brothers should have been on our Quarter. Even though they were from Ohio, the historic flight took place at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

 

Damn, just when I was starting to like you.

 

Dude, I'm from Dayton, Ohio. Now we gotta rumble...

 

 

North Carolina claiming the Wright brothers when the Wright Brothers were only in Kitty Hawk for about six months makes as much sense as saying "the San Francisco 49ers won Superbowl Sixteen at the Pontiac Dome in Pontiac Michigan so therefore Michigan gets to claim Joe Montana as their own forever and ever. The people of San Francisco and Pennsylvania (where he was born) have no claim to him whatsoever. He won in Michigan, so he belongs to Michigan"

 

**rant over**

 

Trouble is, I'm actually moving to Charlotte next month. Is it possible to get North Carolina license plates that do not say "first in flight" and do not have a picture of the Wright B Flyer?

 

**off topic over**

 

[midwest]

and on the Illinois quarter, even though he's from Kentucky.

 

Yep, that seven years he spent in Kentucky as a child really defined his life.

[MunkyMan95]

As a North Carolinian, I believe that the Wright brothers should have been on our Quarter. Even though they were from Ohio, the historic flight took place at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

 

Damn, just when I was starting to like you.

 

Dude, I'm from Dayton, Ohio. Now we gotta rumble...

 

 

North Carolina claiming the Wright brothers when the Wright Brothers were only in Kitty Hawk for about six months makes as much sense as saying "the San Francisco 49ers won Superbowl Sixteen at the Pontiac Dome in Pontiac Michigan so therefore Michigan gets to claim Joe Montana as their own forever and ever. The people of San Francisco and Pennsylvania (where he was born) have no claim to him whatsoever. He won in Michigan, so he belongs to Michigan"

 

**rant over**

 

Trouble is, I'm actually moving to Charlotte next month. Is it possible to get North Carolina license plates that do not say "first in flight" and do not have a picture of the Wright B Flyer?

 

**off topic over**

 

 

Actually, you can get Carolina license plates in all kinds of customizable backgrounds, colors, etc. The flight took place here. The quarter depicts the flight at Kitty Hawk. It was an important historic event in North Carolina! Whether we were really 'First In Flight' or not, the first powered flight took place here, no matter who piloted the plane, or where they were from.

[Brotherman]

and on the Illinois quarter, even though he's from Kentucky.

 

Yep, that seven years he spent in Kentucky as a child really defined his life.

 

Oh yeah, YOU try living 7 years in Kentucky!

 

Hays

[cpm9ball]

Whether we were really 'First In Flight' or not, the first powered flight took place here, no matter who piloted the plane, or where they were from.

 

Strange, I thought the first powered flight took place in France. Do you think we should make a quarter for them?

 

Chris

[astrostu]

... Perhaps getting back to the topic of the post ... my two cents, or perhaps one cent as the case is, is that we need to get rid of the, well, cent. The penny has outlived its usefulness, especially considering that these days it's costing 1.2 cents to mint (as per two recent newspaper articles). IF we don't get rid of the cent, I'm all for getting rid of dead guys and putting back on Lady Liberty. IF that's not an option, then I'd at least prefer a different reverse and a re-design of the obverse, like the 2006 Jefferson nickel.

 

Oh, and to second whoever said it above, get rid of the dollar bill while we're at it.

[RWB]

There is an article in a back issue of Coin World (about a year ago?) about the Lincoln cent design by Jim Fraser. It was based on his 1911 version but more refined. The mint struck patterns in 1952, but the coin never made it into production.

[MunkyMan95]

Whether we were really 'First In Flight' or not, the first powered flight took place here, no matter who piloted the plane, or where they were from.

 

Strange, I thought the first powered flight took place in France. Do you think we should make a quarter for them?

 

Chris

 

Chris, if that's true, then why is there all this hoopla over the Wright brothers flight?

[TomB]

RWB, is that the one with the tree on it? If so, I have seen the large sized model in-hand and it was offered for sale to me, though I did not have the cash.

[HaydenTubbs]

Whether we were really 'First In Flight' or not, the first powered flight took place here, no matter who piloted the plane, or where they were from.

 

Strange, I thought the first powered flight took place in France. Do you think we should make a quarter for them?

 

Chris

 

 

I thought that the first powered flight was made by a New Zealander,Richard Pearse.

[physics-fan3.14]

A comment on the powered flight issue:

 

At the time of the Wright Brothers flight (and for many years before that), numerous people were trying to fly. Most major institutions were spending money researching, and most had prototypes built. And most had tried test flights. Many of these early types were able to make short jumps, little hops that lasted very short periods of time. These were in no way considered flights. The significance of the Wright Flyer was that it was sustained, controlled, heavier than air flight. The flight lasted a dozen seconds, and was controlled. Thus, the Wrights were the first to fly.

 

And by the way, there is a big difference between being the first to fly and winning some Superbowl.

[chinook]

If we stop producing cents then my entire collection would become obsolete.

[MunkyMan95]

But then the value would skyrocket!