1990 Penny Value: Price Chart by Grade & Mint Mark

In 1990 the U.S. Mint struck about 11.77 billion Lincoln cents for circulation: Philadelphia 6.85 billion, Denver 4.92 billion, San Francisco 3,055. That is 7% fewer than 1989. Among the 117 years from 1909 to 2025, 1990 ranks number 12 by total mintage (1 = most coins made), so it is one of the most common dates in the series. The scarcest 1990 issue by mintage is San Francisco (3,055); the most common is Philadelphia (6,851,765,000). Within the 1990s, 1990 ranks 5 of 10 years for mintage; the decade's high was 1994 (13.63 billion) and its low was 1992 (9.10 billion). Mint by mint: Philadelphia fell 6% from 1989; Denver fell 8% from 1989; San Francisco did not strike circulation cents in 1989. Proof cents for collectors: 3,296,504 from San Francisco.

The mint mark, if any, sits under the date on the front of the coin. A 1990 cent with no mint mark was struck at Philadelphia and is the normal, common form for that mint. The letters you can find on 1990 circulation cents are D (Denver) and S (San Francisco). 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.
• Rule out cleaning (unnatural brightness, fine parallel scratches) and flat machine doubling before you call anything a variety; see how to read dates and mint marks.

PCGS Price Guide values for 1990 cents (updated September 24, 2026, U.S. dollars, for coins certified by PCGS):

• 1990: $5 in MS63 RD and $10 in MS65 RD.
• 1990-D: $6 in MS63 RD and $10 in MS65 RD.

San Francisco is the lowest-mintage 1990 issue (3,055 struck), so it is the mint collectors check first. Guide prices assume a certified coin; an uncertified, worn 1990 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.