The front of the Lincoln Penny.
Giant Lincoln Penny
Long Beach, California
Eleven feet high on a two-foot base, the penny replica is made of a hard, copper-colored fiberglass shell over a styrofoam core. It is two-sided (the Lincoln Memorial is on the back). The penny is a numismatic rival to the long-ago-minted (and more rustic) World's Largest Penny in Woodruff, Wisconsin.
Long Beach's penny stands at the entrance to Lincoln Park, and was unveiled on Lincoln's birthday, February 11, 2022. The mayor of Long Beach predicted that the giant coin would be a #1 selfie spot for years to come.
Not everyone shared the mayor's enthusiasm. The penny quickly became the target of protestors, carrying banners such as "Lincoln has Blood on his Hands." They said that Abraham Lincoln didn't deserve to be celebrated -- even with a giant penny -- because of the U.S. military's violence against the Dakota, Navajo, Cheyenne, and Arapaho peoples during Lincoln's time in the White House.
An online petition that called for the penny's removal had received, last time we checked, only 148 signatures.
The back of the Lincoln Penny.
For now, it seems, Abe appreciation is still the coin of the realm.
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