It appears that the U.S. Mint has time on its hands. Understandable, I suppose. Creating the same coins every day… every week… every month. I can imagine all the excitement that must be generated when they gear up to change a digit for the next year. Just think what it must be like when the new mold is punched out… they all gather around, sweat beading on their brows, standing on tippy-toes so they can catch an early peek…
“Hey, Lou! You inverted the 1 and the 2! Hah! Don’t worry, I was just fuckin’ with you!”
And now this. They have created yet another new penny! The one with the Union Pacific logo on the back wasn’t enough!
The front of the coin remains unchanged. Our 16th President still looks remarkably good. The reverse depicts a young Abe Lincoln sitting on a log. And now the truth is revealed. Abe is perched on the log reading a book, with a croquet mallet resting by his side. A wedge partially inserted at the far end of the log. You can almost see the future Campaign posters… Vote for Honest Abe Lincoln The Ol’ Rail Splitter.
But take a closer look at the book. Awfully large for a regular sized book published in the day. Maybe he didn’t really know how to split a rail? Maybe it was a manual? How To Split A Rail… he had to learn the skill so he could acquire that common man persona that would become so invaluable in his future elections.
Or perhaps the book contained instructions on how to play croquet? Maybe that is where he won the heart of Mary Todd away from Stephen Douglas? Everyone knew that Douglas couldn’t play croquet worth a damn!
“Why Mr. Lincoln, that was a well played ball.”
Or maybe the folks at the Mint have got it all wrong! That’s not Abe Lincoln on the log! It’s Henry Fonda playing Abe Lincoln. Notice how Abe Lincoln is pigeon toed in the coin! Lincoln was not pigeon toed… but Henry Fonda was! OK, now everything makes sense! It’s Henry Fonda, taking a break from shooting a scene on the set of Young Mr. Lincoln… and he was just brushing up on the script! Clever, really clever!
You gotta hand it to the U.S. Mint! What a fun loving bunch!
p.s. I made that stuff up about Mary Todd playing croquet with Abe Lincoln; although legend has it they did enjoy pitching horseshoes together.