1989 Penny Value: Price Chart by Grade & Mint Mark

In 1989 the U.S. Mint struck about 12.61 billion Lincoln cents for circulation: Philadelphia 7.26 billion, Denver 5.35 billion. That is 11% more than 1988. Among the 117 years from 1909 to 2025, 1989 ranks number 9 by total mintage (1 = most coins made), so it is one of the most common dates in the series. The scarcest 1989 issue by mintage is Denver (5,345,467,111); the most common is Philadelphia (7,261,535,000). Within the 1980s, 1989 ranks 5 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 19% from 1988; Denver rose 2% from 1988. Proof cents for collectors: 3,220,194 from San Francisco.

The mint mark, if any, sits under the date on the front of the coin. A 1989 cent with no mint mark was struck at Philadelphia and is the normal, common form for that mint. The letters you can find on 1989 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.
• Before anything else, confirm the date and mint mark are fully readable and that the surfaces have not been cleaned; the dates and mint marks guide shows what cleaning and machine doubling look like.

PCGS Price Guide values for 1989 cents (updated September 24, 2026, U.S. dollars, for coins certified by PCGS):

• 1989: $6 in MS63 RD and $10 in MS65 RD.
• 1989-D: $6 in MS63 RD and $14 in MS65 RD.

Denver is the lowest-mintage 1989 issue (5,345,467,111 struck), so it is the mint collectors check first. Guide prices assume a certified coin; an uncertified, worn 1989 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.