Abraham Lincoln (the 16th President of the United States, led the United States through its Civil War, abolished slavery) bust right, date lower right. The lettering LIBERTY and the motto IN GOD WE TRUST.

When the Lincoln one-cent coin made its initial appearance in 1909, it was the first regular coin to bear a portrait. In fact, the first President of the United States George Washington is said to have refused to allow his likeness to be incorporated into any coins. He felt, and most agreed for decades, that a portrait of a real individual was too similar to the practice of using images of royalty on coins used by the monarchal governments of Europe. But public sentiment stemming from the 100th-anniversary celebration of Abraham Lincoln's birth proved stronger than the long-standing tradition. The motto In God We Trust appeared for the first time on a coin of this denomination.

The obverse or heads side was designed by Victor David Brenner. Brenner's initials (V.D.B.), on the reverse at its base, were deemed too prominent once the coins were issued and were removed within days of the release. The initials were restored on the bottom sleeve of Abraham Lincoln, this time smaller, on Lincoln's shoulder, in 1918.

Illinois Penny commemorates the early professional life of Lincoln. Depicted on the back of the coin is a young Abraham Lincoln standing and speaking in front of the Illinois State Capitol Building in Springfield, Illinois.

The Illinois State Capitol, located in Springfield, Illinois, is the building that houses the executive and legislative branches of the government of the U.S. state of Illinois. With a total height of 361 ft (110 m), the Illinois capitol is the tallest non-skyscraper capitol, even exceeding the height of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. The dome is covered in zinc to provide a silvery facade which does not weather.

Designers: Joel Iskowitz (JI) and Don Everhart (DE)