Victor David Brenner
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Victor David Brenner (June 12, 1871 – April 5, 1924) was the designer of the United States Lincoln Wheat Ears Cent. He was born to Jewish parents in Shavli, Lithuania in 1871 and became a noted sculptor, engraver, and medalist. He studied at the Académie Julian in Paris and emigrated to the United States in 1890, living mostly in the New York area.
Some of Brenner's most noteworthy sculptural works include:
- Rev. Dr Muhlenberg Medal (issued by the American Numismatic and Archaeological Society)
- Portrait-plaquette of Fridtjof Nansen
- Portrait medallion of J. Sanford Saltus
- Portrait medallion of C. Delacour
- Portrait-plaquette of Abraham Lincoln (the same plaquette that was used in the design of the Lincoln cent)
[edit] Lincoln cent
Brenner is probably best-known for his enduring Lincoln cent design, the obverse of which is the longest-running design in United States Mint history. Following the precedent of James B. Longacre, whose initials "JBL" (or simply "L") graced a number of U.S. coin designs for much of the latter half of the 19th century, Brenner placed his initials "VDB" at the bottom of the reverse between the wheat ear stalks. Widespread criticism of the initials' prominence resulted in their removal midway through 1909, the design's first year of issue. In 1918, Brenner's initials returned as small letters below Lincoln's shoulder, where they remain today. (The incorporation of the designer's initials into a coin design is now commonplace in the U.S.)
Brenner died in 1924 and is buried at Mount Judah Cemetery, Ridgewood, Queens County, New York. In his later years he used to give people 1909 VDB pennies.[citation needed]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- PCGS The Professional Coin Grading Service's biography of Victor David Brenner
- L. Forrer, Biographical Dictionary of Medalists (Vol 1, 1904) pp. 277–279
