New Lincoln Penny One of Four on the Way [PHOTO GALLERY]

A new Lincoln penny goes into circulation today in honor of the 200th birthday of America’s 16th president.

The New Lincoln Penny Series

The new Lincoln penny is the first of four Lincoln pennies set to debut over the coming year. The coins all feature the same head, pictured at right, with different tails representing eras of Abraham Lincoln’s life.

The tail of the Lincoln penny entering circulation today shows a log cabin that symbolizes Lincoln’s Kentucky birthplace. The other three tails show Lincoln reading, supposedly as a young man in Indiana; Lincoln as a state lawmaker at the Illinois capitol; and the early phases of the U.S. Capitol dome.

One Lincoln penny will be released in each quarter of 2009.