1963 D Lincoln cent. Bronze. 1,774,020,000 minted.
A penny is a penny: three quarters of an inch wide, about a sixteenth of an inch thick, weighs two and a half grams, made from copper, with Lincoln on one side and his memorial on the other. Every one is the same, right?
Wrong.
1964 Lincoln cents. Bronze. 6,447,646,500 minted.
A penny may pass through a thousand hands before it stops in mine. Every coin takes its own journey, acquires its own experiences, its own scars, its own patina, and has lived a life all of its own. I have handled thousands—tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions—of pennies. Each one is different. Each one has its own story, its own secrets, its own spirit.
The common cent is anything but common.
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Unknown post-1981, pre-2008 Lincoln cent. Copper plated zinc. Approximately 279,000,000,000 minted.
Equipment Used:
- Canon 5D Mark II (Buy from Amazon)
- This model has been superceded by the 5D Mark III. The purchase links point to that model.
- Canon 100mm f2.8L IS Macro (Buy from Amazon)
- Canon ST-E2 Flash Controller (Buy from Amazon)
- This has been superceded by the ST-E3-RT for Canon's new line of radio-triggered flashes (at the moment only the 600EX RT). The ST-E3-RT is not backwards compatible with Canon's optically triggered flashes (i.e. the 430EX II, 580EX II, etc.) and the ST-E2 is not forwards compatible with the new RT units.
- Canon 430 EX II (Buy from Amazon)
- This model is at the end of its life and will be replaced with a new radio-triggered model soon. Read the note for the ST-E2 for more information.
- Westcott Apollo 5x8" Softbox (Buy from Amazon)
- Beseler CS Copy Stand
- Vello Shutterboss Wireless Release (Buy from B&H Photo)
- This is the best wireless release I've used. Unfortunately, that's not saying much. All wireless releases are overpriced garbage, this one just happens to stink less than the competition. It's quirky, it's flimsy (I'm on my fifth one at this point), and it costs a hundred bucks. This is available under many brand names, but I strongly recommend buying the Vello-branded model from B&H because of B&H's no-hassle 1 year warranty. Dealing with B&H is always a snap and the same may not be true of Generic Hong Kong Camera Accessories Internet Company Incorporated on ebay.