1909-S VDB Lincoln Cent | NGC MS63 RB

The 1909-S VDB Lincoln Cent is the undisputed key date of the entire Lincoln Wheat cent series, and this example has been certified MS63 RB by the Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC). Struck at the San Francisco Mint in the very first year of the Lincoln cent's production, this coin carries the initials of its designer, Victor David Brenner, prominently displayed on the reverse — a feature that sparked public controversy and led the U.S. Mint to remove the initials after just days of production. This specimen displays the warm red-brown (RB) surfaces characteristic of an original, lightly toned Mint State coin, retaining meaningful areas of original mint luster alongside natural patina. The obverse presents Brenner's iconic right-facing portrait of Abraham Lincoln — the first U.S. circulating coin to depict a historical American figure — flanked by IN GOD WE TRUST and LIBERTY. The reverse reads ONE CENT / UNITED STATES OF AMERICA within wheat stalks. Housed in NGC's rigid, tamper-evident slab with a holographic security label, this coin is display-ready and registry-eligible.