The Start of the VDB Cent
Mint Director A. Piatt Andrew wrote in his annual report for the fiscal year 1909 that a new cent design had been approved by the Treasury and coinage had begun in May of that year. He went on to note that the portrait of Abraham Lincoln had replaced the Indian Head design and that the first coins were distributed to the public on August 2. Director Andrew of course had no idea of the future longevity of this coin and its influence on countless new collectors in the United States.
The idea for this new cent design began almost by accident. Noted artist and sculptor Victor David Brenner had obtained a commission from the military to prepare a medal honoring President Theodore Roosevelt, which was to be awarded to those working on the Panama Canal. Brenner was already noted for his superb medallic portrait of Abraham Lincoln, one of the reasons he obtained this coveted assignment.
While preparing the artwork for the Roosevelt portrait, the sculptor and the President became good friends. In the course of their conversations during 1908, the subject of the new designs on the gold coins arose, with the Chief Executive inviting Brenner to submit suggestions for artwork on other coins.
Once the Canal medal was finished, Brenner did as he was asked and submitted some plaster models to Mint Director Frank Leach in January 1909. (Frank Leach was replaced as director
