1988 Penny (Lincoln Cent): Mintage & What to Check

In 1988 the U.S. Mint struck about 11.35 billion Lincoln cents for circulation: Philadelphia 6.09 billion, Denver 5.25 billion, San Francisco 3.3 million. 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 San Francisco (3,262,948); 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 (8.94 billion). Mint by mint: Philadelphia rose 30% from 1987; Denver rose 8% from 1987; San Francisco fell 23% from 1987.

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) and S (San Francisco).

• 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.
• For any 1988 cent, check three things before anything else: that the date and mint mark are fully readable, that the surfaces have not been cleaned (unnatural brightness, fine parallel scratches), and whether any doubling on the lettering is true die doubling (rounded, separated) rather than flat machine doubling.

What a 1988 cent is worth depends on three things in this order: the variety (a recognised doubled die or transitional error is worth far more than a normal coin), the mint (San Francisco is the lowest-mintage 1988 issue), and the grade (an uncirculated coin with original red colour is a different market from a worn brown one). A normal, circulated 1988 cent from the most common mint is a very common coin; published price guides from grading services list values by grade and variety, and they change over time. This page does not give prices. To get a reference range for the exact coin in your hand, photograph both sides in even light and let the app read the date, mint mark and visible varieties first.