1 Cent 'Lincoln Cent - Shield Reverse'

The Shield reverse was introduced in 2010 to replace the four-year Lincoln Bicentennial reverse series, returning the cent to a single unified design for the first time since the Lincoln Memorial reverse was retired after 2008. The design came from Lyndall Bass, selected through an open competition. It was the first non-commemorative, non-architectural reverse on the Lincoln cent since the original wheat ears design of 1909.

The copper-plated zinc composition dates to 1982, when rising copper prices made the all-copper cent economically unviable. Known to corrode aggressively if the plating is breached — a problem well-documented with improperly stored rolls from this period.