Birthdays and History

This year marks the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth. It also marks for numismatists (coin collectors) 100 years since the famous minting of the 1909 VDB pennies. In August of 1909, the initial offering of the Lincoln cent was revealed in the various forms produced by mints in Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco. Mintmarks from Denver and San Francisco were noted with a D or S beneath the year. Philadelphia adopted the “plain” or no additional letter format for the penny. In this initial year of this new version of the one-cent coin, succeeding the earlier Indianhead pennies, the initials of the engraver, Victor D. Brenner appeared on the reverse at the bottom edge of the coin. Protests arose over the initialed inscriptions, with some suggesting that it was commissioned work and therefore not to be artistically identified. Protestors won out and while the coin faces remained the same in following years, the initials were dropped. Interestingly, the 1909 became something of a novelty. Even more so was the fact that the San Francisco mint produced significantly fewer pennies of that year and thus the 1909-S VDB penny became a collector’s delight, both for its scarcity and value.
This year, to honor the 200th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth, four different reverses are being minted and released at different times during the year to commemorate Lincoln’s birth in Kentucky, his formative years in Indiana, his professional life in Illinois, and his Presidency in Washington, D.C. Each new reverse of the Lincoln cent will bear the initials of those who designed the work and produced it initially. Interestingly, now the V.D.B. for Victor D. Brenner can be found under the shoulder of Lincoln on the face of the coin.
While remembering the details seems interesting to some and less so to others, in similar ways, we often take the ordinary and routine of our days and forget the significant history that enabled our own opportunities and blessings. As our church celebrates 175 years, we would do well to pause and recognize the gifts of many along the way that have remained less known perhaps, but nonetheless significant contributors to the life and work of the congregation that has blessed untold numbers through the years. Our discoveries in researching the past will mark interesting days of ministry and service. The names will be many, the offerings to each generation significant, and with clear voice and intention our aim has been to bring glory to our God. So together let us with one voice and one heart, unite to lift up the name of Jesus Christ our Lord…proclaiming the Gospel and sharing with all the good news. The details do matter. The lessons to be shared are important. The story to be told…is life changing…forever.