7 Answers
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Well, outside of the dollar coin (which is made out of a brass alloy), the cent is the only “colored” coin because it’s the only one with a copper coating (over a zinc core). All the rest of the coins are made with an alloy of 75% copper, and 25% nickel. The nickel is that composition all the way through, while the dime, quarter, and half have two outer layers of that material bonded to a copper core.
Lincoln is facing right because when Theodore Roosevelt was president, he saw a plaque of Lincoln done by a sculptor named Victor Brenner. He contacted Brenner, and asked him to design a cent based on the Lincoln portrait on the plaque. Since Lincoln was facing right on the plaque, he’s facing right on the cent.
So why are all the other coins facing left? It’s just a coincidence. They were done by four different men over 30+ years, during both Republican and Democratic administrations. As others have pointed out, we’ve had other right facing coins, including the Franklin half, which was designed by the same artist who did the left facing portrait of Roosevelt on the dime.
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I’m guessing the head directions are just a random thing, and Lincoln is not the only one who has faced right (your right, looking down on the coin). Ben Franklin faced the same on the half dollar that was made prior to Kennedy halves. And Susan B Anthony does the same on dollars, as does Sacagawea (more or less, she’s turned at an unusual angle).
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The color has to do with the metal that the original coins were made of. Copper was valuable, but less so than nickel or silver that other coins were made of. I have a large penny from 1802. It was the copper that made the penny valuable. It has nothing to do with Lincoln. I do not now why he is turned the other way, but I expect it is a tradition having to do with him being assassinated.
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Being an American I feel that this answer sound great for our country. I’m so some one will say something. I feel that the reason why President Lincoln is facing to the right is because he help free the slaves and he is showing Afro-Americans that he understood that they are people and equal to every human being that God has put in this planet and so he is showing that he is showing respect to the Afro-American people and saying you’re are equal to everyone, so in turn I will look at you straight in the face and say welcome to American. Maybe I might be wrong, but I feel this way about our President. Frankie Feliciano – NY
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Abraham freed the slaves and for this they mAde the other presidents turn their back to him and made the penny brown
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Color is different b/c it is made from cheaper metal.
Head orientation probably matches the best sideway portrait of him that they could find.
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I don’t believe in coincidence, theres something more to it. These people always do things for a reason.
