1988 Canada Cent Value

Depending on how well it survived, a 1988 Canada Cent brings anywhere from its melt value to well into four figures. Exceptional, certified pieces regularly exceed the top of that range.

1988COINCOIN
Illustrative rendering. Photographs of this date are being added.

1988 Canada Cent value by grade

1988 Canada Cent value by grade
GradeEstimated value

Estimated retail range. Estimates are modeled from mintage rarity and metal content, not auction records. Actual sale prices vary with certification, eye appeal and market timing.

What is a 1988 Canada Cent worth right now?

Pricing for the 1988 Canada Cent depends on grade and current collector demand.

1988 Canada Cent specifications

Series
Canada Coinage
Year
1988
Mint mark
None (Philadelphia)
Mintage
Not recorded
Composition
Copper Alloy
Weight
2.515 g
Diameter
19 mm

No mint mark? Here is why

Philadelphia struck the 1988 Canada Cent, and Philadelphia coins of this period carry no mint mark at all. An empty space at the usual mint mark position (see the series guide) confirms a Philadelphia strike, not a flaw.

The value drivers behind this coin

Documented examples of the 1988 Canada Cent in our reference database anchor what we know about this issue. Mintage records are incomplete, so collector demand and surviving population drive its market.

There is history in a 1988 Canada Coinage as well. Documented Canada coin types preserved in museum collections, with measured specifications for each date, denomination and mint. That backdrop keeps the series among the most actively collected in American numismatics.

1988 Canada Cent inscriptions & design

Obverse

ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA

middle-aged crowned bust of the Queen, facing right

Reverse

1 CENT CANADA

two maple leaves

Measured 1988 Canada Cent specimens

3 physically measured 1988 Canada Cent examples in our reference database. Real measured weights and die axes let you authenticate a coin against the 2.515 g, 19 mm minting standard.

Measured 1988 Canada Cent specimens
SpecimenWeightDiameterDie axisReferences
1988 Canada Cent #12.503 g19 mm-KM.Canada.132
1988 Canada Cent #22.515 g19 mm-KM.Canada.132
1988 Canada Cent #32.523 g19 mm-KM.Canada.181

Specifications compiled from documented museum specimens. See our data & methodology page.