Say goodbye to the Lincoln Memorial on the tails side for a while starting today, old Abes getting a polished look. The U.S. Mint is releasing millions of new pennies with a special design in a nod to Abraham Lincolns bicentennial he was born Feb. 12, 1809. This one, the third of four special penny designs to be issued this year, celebrates his professional life in Illinois and shows a standing Abe in front of the states capital. The last two special-issue pennies reflected his early childhood a log cabin representing his humble beginnings in Kentucky and his formative years hes sitting on a log and reading, a reference to his self-education while working as a rail splitter in Indiana.

How to get them: For $8.95 you get one roll of 50 coins from the Philadelphia mint, another from Denver, carrying the D mint mark all wrapped in a special package. Of course, you do have to pay for shipping and handling. Thats $4.95 per order, according to the Mint. (Making a penny costs the U.S. Mint about 1.4 cents these days, spokesman Michael White reports. So, youre probably getting a deal if you order the Two-Roll Set.) If youre having to scrape your pennies together for this purchase, you could always hold out for the Presidency version. That comes out in November.

Cox News Service