The Philadelphia Mint is reponsible for all proof deliveries in the early Lincoln Cent series.  This facility delivered specimen Cents from 1909-1916 using a matte texture that, with subsequent impressions from a particular die pairing, softened to a more satiny style of finish.  The first-year 1909 V.D.B. is the rarest delivery of this type, followed by the final-year 1916.  The more subdued texture imparted by the matte proofing process, as well as the inability of the untrained eye to distinguish these specimens from business strikes, meant that the proof Cents from 1909-1916 did not prove popular among the contemporary public.  As such, these issues have low survivability rates that, in turn, translates into universal scarcity for surviving examples.