The E-Sylum:  Volume 5, Number 24, June 9, 2002, Article 14

PENNY MYTHS

  I pity major coin dealers and societies for the endless
  barrage of stupid questions that arrive from the public by
  phone and email.   Here's one that came through my own
  web site:

  Subject line:  "reason penny is copper and all others are
  silver. (for a college assignment)"

  Text:  "I need to give the reason why and I heard that it
  is because of the following:  Lincoln betrayed the Americans
  by freeing slaves, therefore all coins are silver and the penny
  is copper, facing the opposite direction of the other coins,
  and is the lowest worth."

  My first inclination was to ask which college the writer
  was attending so I could be sure not to send my own kids
  there.   But out of curiosity I did a web search looking for
  decent information on the history of the cent.  I found two
  things of interest.

  The first is a decent 1999 article  by Gerald Tebben in
  The Columbus Dispatch, including quotes from ANS
  Curator Alan Stahl.  But I'm not sure of the accuracy
  of Stahl's last comment, that Victor David Brenner
  "sunk back to poverty."

  The second items are from a pro-cent lobbying group.
  The slant is naturally bias, but the basic facts seem
  correct, and the pages are nicely laid out.

  http://www.dispatch.com/coincomment/lincolncent/1cent31fea.html
  http://www.pennies.org/history.html
  http://www.pennies.org/history/intro.html

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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