1790 United States Penny Value
A 1790 United States Penny is worth roughly its melt value to well into four figures depending on its condition. Certified examples in top grades can run far higher.
Public domain image (struck or printed before 1926). Click to enlarge.
1790 United States Penny value by grade
| Grade | Estimated 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.
How much is a 1790 United States Penny worth today?
Pricing for the 1790 United States Penny depends on grade and current collector demand.
1790 United States Penny specifications
- Series
- United States Coinage
- Year
- 1790
- Mint mark
- None (Philadelphia)
- Mintage
- Not recorded
- Composition
- Copper
- Weight
- 6.54 g
- Diameter
- 26 mm
Why this coin has no mint mark
The 1790 United States Penny was struck at the Philadelphia Mint, which used no mint mark in this era. If you find no letter where branch-mint coins carry one (check the usual position for this series), you are holding a Philadelphia issue.
Why the 1790 United States Penny is worth money
Official mintage figures for the 1790 United States Penny are not well established. The museum-documented specimens behind our specifications provide the physical reference points for the issue, and the market prices it on observed scarcity.
There is history in a 1790 United States Coinage as well. Documented United States 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.
1790 United States Penny inscriptions & design
Obverse
D \ CHURCH \ Penny
counterstamped.
Reverse
Measured 1790 United States Penny specimens
1 physically measured 1790 United States Penny example in our reference database. Real measured weights and die axes let you authenticate a coin against the 6.54 g, 26 mm minting standard.
| Specimen | Weight | Diameter | Die axis | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1790 United States Penny #1 | 6.54 g | 26 mm | - | Breen.1170, Whitman.8500 |
Specifications compiled from documented museum specimens. See our data & methodology page.