Where’s The VDB On Lincoln Cents of the 1910s?

If you’ve been collecting Lincoln Cents for a while, you’re probably aware that the letters “VDB” are of some importance to the coin. These are the initials of the coin’s original designer, Victor David Brenner, who crafted the obverse and first reverse design for the Lincoln Cent type in 1909. It was that year that saw the release of the coin, which stirred something of a controversy when Brenner placed his “VDB” calling card on the bottom-center of the reverse, under the tips of the two wheat stalks encircling the inscriptions “ONE CENT,” “E PLURIBUS UNUM,” and “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.”

The U.S. Mint removed Brenner’s “VDB” initials from the bottom of the reverse upon concerns of public dismay over the letters, which some reportedly thought amounted to an advertisement for the private-venture artist. The initials being removed within weeks of the coin’s August 1909 release resulted in 1909 VDB and 1909-S VDB Lincoln Cents becoming scarce; the latter is generally considered the most sought-after key date among all regular-issue circulation strikes from the series.

The banishment of the “VDB” initials didn’t just last for just a year or two. Production of the Lincoln Cent carried on for nearly a decade without Brenner’s initials. When “VDB” was finally restored in 1918, the markings were made much smaller than they had been seen in 1909, and they were demoted to an appearance of diminished prominence. The “VDB” initials were placed in micro-sized typeface under the base of Lincoln’s shoulder on the obverse – a spot that often leaves the initials all but unseen on circulated specimens due to wear on that area of the coin.

With the “VDB” initials removed in 1909 and restored in 1918, this means that all Lincoln Cents struck from 1910 through 1917 are absent a direct namecheck for Brenner. But if there’s anything good to come out of the story for Brenner, it’s this: the artist lived to see his name restored on the coin he famously designed. Brenner died in 1924 at the relatively young age of 52, but his name continues to be seen on Lincoln Cents to this day. You can still find his initials, “VDB,” just under the shoulder of Lincoln on all new U.S. one cent coins!