Top 10 Things You Didn't Know About the Penny
A penny accidentally minted with the wrong alloy in 1943 just sold for the colossal sum of $1.7 million. TIME takes a look at the copper coin and some facts to make sense of all those cents
The U.S. Mint had been producing one-cent coins since its founding in 1792, but the 1909 penny (which replaced the Indian-head cent) was the first coin on which a President's likeness appeared. Teddy Roosevelt commissioned the coin to celebrate the 100th birthday of Abraham Lincoln. While most people applauded the new design, former Confederate soldiers were upset at the prospect of carrying the image of Lincoln in their pockets.
See pictures of Abraham Lincoln.
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