1788 United States Coin Value

In the current market, a 1788 United States Coin changes hands for roughly its melt value at the low end and well into four figures at the top. The figures below break the range down grade by grade.

Public domain image (struck or printed before 1926). Click to enlarge.

1788 United States Coin value by grade

1788 United States Coin 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 the 1788 United States Coin selling for today?

Pricing for the 1788 United States Coin depends on grade and current collector demand.

1788 United States Coin specifications

Series
United States Coinage
Year
1788
Mint mark
None (Philadelphia)
Mintage
Not recorded
Composition
Copper
Weight
7.49 g
Diameter
27.7 mm

No mint mark? Here is why

No mint mark is the mark here: the 1788 United States Coin comes from the main Philadelphia Mint, which left its coins unlettered in this era. The position where branch mints placed their letter (varies by series) is simply blank.

What makes the 1788 United States Coin valuable

The 1788 United States Coin lacks precise production records, so its value rests on demonstrated rarity: how often examples surface at auction and how they compare to documented specimens.

Context adds the final layer to the 1788 United States Coin. Documented United States coin types preserved in museum collections, with measured specifications for each date, denomination and mint. Owning this date means owning a piece of that story, and demand for the series as a whole sustains liquidity for every issue in it.

1788 United States Coin inscriptions & design

Obverse

AUCTORI ✶ \ ✶ CONNEC ❖

Mailed bust right

Reverse

INDE ✶ ET \ LIB ❖

Seated liberty left, holding frond in right hand and spear with cap in left hand

Measured 1788 United States Coin specimens

12 physically measured 1788 United States Coin examples in our reference database. Real measured weights and die axes let you authenticate a coin against the 7.49 g, 27.7 mm minting standard.

Measured 1788 United States Coin specimens
SpecimenWeightDiameterDie axisReferences
1788 United States Coin #17.99 g29 mm6 hMiller.4.1-B.1, Breen.859, Whitman.4420
1788 United States Coin #26.58 g--Bressett.15-S, Ryder.16, Whitman.2120
1788 United States Coin #36.82 g--Bressett.10-O, Ryder.23, Whitman.2175
1788 United States Coin #46.29 g--Bressett.16-S, Ryder.24, Whitman.2200
1788 United States Coin #510.71 g27 mm-Maris.49-f, Breen.915, Whitman.5470
1788 United States Coin #69.18 g27 mm-Maris.50-f, Breen.915
1788 United States Coin #79.31 g30 mm-Maris.65-u, Breen.946, Whitman.5495
1788 United States Coin #89.19 g30 mm-Maris.67-v, Breen.949, Whitman.5510
1788 United States Coin #99.75 g30 mm-Maris.67-v, Breen.949, Whitman.5510
1788 United States Coin #109.176 g29 mm-Maris.75-bb, Breen.952, Whitman.5520
1788 United States Coin #117.39 g26 mm5 hMiller.2-D, Breen.857, Whitman.4405
1788 United States Coin #127.51 g27 mm5 hMiller.2-D, Breen.857, Whitman.4405

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