2009 Lincoln Penny Mintages
You can't tell by looking at your daily pocket change, but the United States Mint has actually produced more than 2 billion 2009 pennies during the first nine months of this year.
Despite all the freshly minted 2009 Lincoln cents, finding the pennies in circulation can be quite the challenge. Why? Economic pressures have forced many to break the old penny jars and use otherwise hoarded change to buy groceries and other necessities.
The result is that pocket change is actually flowing back into the banking system instead of the other way around, like most years. And that's why it can be so difficult in certain regions of the U.S. to find new 2009 coins, including the new pennies.
The following mintage tables provide a glance into how many cents the US Mint has struck so far this year. These are actually the coins minted in Denver and Philadelphia for circulation purposes only -- they do not include proof or uncirculated collector coins the Mint produces.
For reference, here are total mintage figures that are known for the first three pennies:
2009 Lincoln Penny Mintages
| Denver | Philadelphia | 2009 Total | |
| Birthplace Cent | 350,400,000 | 284,400,000 | 634,800,000 |
| Formative Years Cent | 363,600,000 | 376,000,000 | 739,600,000 |
| Professional Life Cent | 336,000,000 | 316,000,000 | 652,000,000 |
| Total | 1,050,000,000 | 976,400,000 | 2,026,400,000 |
The fourth redesigned Lincoln Presidency penny will be launched on Nov. 12, 2009. To prepare for their release, the Mint will start striking them in July.