Lincoln Plaques by Victor D. Brenner

[BillJones]

Recently my wife and I took a trip to Springfield, Illinois after the recent Early American Coppers convention. I am always on the look out of coin related displays, and I was pleased to spot this one at the visitors’ center that the National Park Service runs in conjunction with Lincoln’s Springfield home. I was surprised to spot this plaque, which is rather unusual. I apologize for the quality of the picture, which I had to shoot through a Lucite case.

 

 

And here is a close-up of the cent, which is mounted in the plaque:

 

 

The story is that Theodore Roosevelt (TR), toward the end of his second presidential term, was posing for Victor David Brenner for a medal that the artist was commissioned to execute for the president. During their conversations, Brenner mentioned that he was working on a couple of Lincoln projects in conjunction with what was then the 100 the anniversary of the 16th president’s birth. He showed Roosevelt a model of a Lincoln medal he was working on and plaque similar to the piece shown above. Brenner declared to TR that “His head was full in Lincoln!”

 

Roosevelt immediately saw a worthwhile project. Why not develop a Lincoln design that would replace the Indian cent? Roosevelt began pushing the idea, and the result was the Lincoln cent which was designed, of course, by Brenner.

 

While the plaque that I saw at the Lincoln site is different and unusual, similar items are available to collectors. I chased down this plaque some years ago that is quite similar to the one I saw in the museum. The Medalic Art Company also issued a small piece years ago that was based upon this same design. My piece is mounted on a slab of green marble.

 

 

I would caution those who take an active interest in locating one of these to deal only with knowledgeable and reputable dealers. I got stuck with a copy before I purchased the real thing, and the copies are quite deceptive.

[RWB]

As you’ve probably noticed, there are a couple of mistakes in the Park Service inscription:

1. The Lincoln cent was not the first U.S. coin to have the artists initials "in the design." This goes back to the Gobrecht dollars.

2. It was the first circulating coin to feature a portrait of a specific person.

3. The final reverse models by Brenner had his last name on the reverse, not the initials. (They were added by Barber in May 1909.)

 

Brenner made his living designing and selling medals, plaques and the like. He made many versions of Lincoln - as did dozens of artists in Europe and America - and sold them direct and through agents. These have been widely imitated, although usually at inferior quality.

[ldhair]

Hi Bill.

Not sure if you noticed but a plaque like your's but without the marble brought $3250 on Ebay a few weeks ago.

In the past these were bringing $1000 to $1500. I was shocked at the price. I'm thinking the folks bidding on it just had to have it and the price went crazy. It was item #230125047174.

[BillJones]

You have to really watch the pieces that don't come on wood or marble. The counterfeit I got stuck with had no backing and only a wire suspended on two hooks on the back. It was done at a New Jersey foundry back in the 1970s I heard. Perhaps these guys paid a record price for a counterfeit.

 

As for crazy prices, I heard some paid $12,000+ for a George Washington Inaugural button (The with the continuous chain link with states' names and "Long live the president" and "GW" in the middle) when the going rate was around 4 or 5 grand. This was several years ago.

 

People can go nuts at auctions either because they get carried away or they think they are paying the market price because someone else is bidding. All it takes is two people with more money than knowledge bidding against each other. Under those circumstances the consigner and the auction house are happy, but the buyers find out they have had themselves.

[bsshog40]

That's a cool Bill I like that. Ain't it neat to find something that is numismatic related during vacation? I would like to visit a Mint facility one day. I used to live in San Fransisco and never visited the mint.

[ldhair]

The first plaque you posted Bill is really special.

I wish I owned one. The one you have Bill is the real deal.

 

This one is about 11x14 and sold a while back by Heritage for $4000. Check out this link to a different thread on these. Plaque thread.

 

[Broc Mitchell]

I have great respect for Victor Brenner as an artist and this design in general although I must point out that it is odd that Lincoln looks somewhat like a Serval in these plaques. What do you think?