"Preservation of the Union" The 2010 and beyond reverse (tails
side) design is emblematic of President Abraham Lincoln's
preservation of the United States as a single and united
country, as required by Title III of Public Law 109-145, the
Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005. While the obverse (heads)
continues to bear the familiar Victor David Brenner likeness of
President Lincoln that has appeared on the coin since 1909, the
reverse features a union shield with a scroll draped across and
the inscription ONE CENT. When the United States Mint was
created in 1792, one of the first coins it made the following
year was the one-cent coin, and it looked very different from
the modern version. The image on the first cent was of a lady
with flowing hair, who symbolized liberty. The coin was larger
and made of pure copper, while today's smaller cent is made of
copper and zinc. In 1857, Congress authorized the United States
Mint to strike the cent with 88 percent copper and 12 percent
nickel. The "shape and size" would be