Were there any competing designs for the new cent in 1909? Who designed the wheat reverse?
Victor David Brenner was selected as the designer by President Theodore Roosevelt, without any competition, at least from outside the Mint. The wheat ears design was one of three submitted by Brenner, a point often overlooked in the publicity given the obverse. It’s ironic, considering the controversy about his name and initials on the cent, that if he designed both sides of a coin in 2005, his initials would have appeared on both sides without the slightest question