The V.D.B Lincoln Cent

The Lincoln cent, designed by Victor David Brenner, made its debut in 1909. The large initials V.D.B., which appeared on the bottom of the reverse of the cent, caused such a public uproar that the initials were quickly removed.

But before the non-V.D.B. cents were released, 27,995,000 cents were released from the Philadelphia Mint and 484,000 were released from the San Francisco Mint.

It wasn't until 1918 that Brenner's initials were placed on the Lincoln cent again. This time, however, the initials were smaller and much less noticeable. They appear to this day at the base of Lincoln's portrait on the obverse.