1988 Penny Value: Price Chart by Grade & Mint Mark

In 1988 the U.S. Mint struck about 11.35 billion Lincoln cents for circulation: Philadelphia 6.09 billion, Denver 5.25 billion. That is 19% more than 1987. Among the 117 years from 1909 to 2025, 1988 ranks number 14 by total mintage (1 = most coins made), so it is one of the most common dates in the series. The scarcest 1988 issue by mintage is Denver (5,253,740,443); the most common is Philadelphia (6,092,810,000). Within the 1980s, 1988 ranks 7 of 10 years for mintage; the decade's high was 1982 (16.73 billion) and its low was 1986 (8.93 billion). Mint by mint: Philadelphia rose 30% from 1987; Denver rose 8% from 1987. Proof cents for collectors: 3,262,948 from San Francisco.

The mint mark, if any, sits under the date on the front of the coin. A 1988 cent with no mint mark was struck at Philadelphia and is the normal, common form for that mint. The letters you can find on 1988 circulation cents are D (Denver). Proof cents carry an S and have mirror-like fields; they came from collector sets, not from circulation.

• Cents from 1983 onward are copper-plated zinc (about 2.5 g). The plating is thin, so these coins corrode easily: bubbles, pitting or grey spots on a bright coin are damage, not a variety.
• True die doubling is rounded and separated; flat, shelf-like doubling is machine doubling and adds nothing. The mint marks guide has side-by-side examples.

PCGS Price Guide values for 1988 cents (updated September 24, 2026, U.S. dollars, for coins certified by PCGS):

• 1988: $6 in MS63 RD and $14 in MS65 RD.
• 1988-D: $5 in MS63 RD and $10 in MS65 RD.

Denver is the lowest-mintage 1988 issue (5,253,740,443 struck), so it is the mint collectors check first. Guide prices assume a certified coin; an uncertified, worn 1988 cent usually sells for less than the lowest figure above, and most circulated zinc cents are worth face value. RD means full original red copper, RB red-brown, BN brown; the color grade can multiply the price. How grade and variety turn into a number is explained in what makes a coin valuable.