Thousands showed up on Thursday in Lincoln City, Indiana for the official release of the new penny. Commemorating the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth and the centennial of the Lincoln penny, four designs will be released in 2009 illustrating different stages of his life. Collectible versions of the coins will also be minted with the same metal content as the 1909 version: 95% copper, 5% tin and zinc (regular pennies are still 2.5% copper, the rest zinc).