New 2010 penny

I was in my car this morning and noticed this different looking piece of change in my change holder.  It was the back side of a penny, but it was different the the 2 backsides I knew of.  The first, original penny back has the Lincoln Memorial on it.  The second has Lincoln sitting on a log with an ax. But this third...it is much more simplified.  It has a large shield on it.  I was curious as to the origins of this new design and after little research found a page with a full description.  Turns out, this penny was released just before ole' Abe's 201st birthday.  So, here is what this new penny looks like, and a little bit about it:

New 2010 penny

So, this is the Union Shield, meant to resemble the unity of the United States and a celebration of Lincoln's ability to keep all 13 original states unified.  There are 13 stripes on the shield..to represent the original 13 states.  The top of the shield is one large band, representing the federal government.  This large top band has the verbage "E Pluribus Unum" inscribed, which means "Out of many, one."

This penny, to me, is very simplified.  I have always loved the old, Lincoln Memorial reverse..and the fact that you could see a TINY little Lincoln sitting in it.  Anyways, interesting history is always found on our coins.