1798 United States Cent Value
In the current market, a 1798 United States Cent changes hands for roughly its melt value at the low end and well into four figures at the top. Exceptional, certified pieces regularly exceed the top of that range.
Public domain image (struck or printed before 1926). Click to enlarge.
1798 United States Cent 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.
What is the 1798 United States Cent selling for today?
Pricing for the 1798 United States Cent depends on grade and current collector demand.
1798 United States Cent specifications
- Series
- United States Coinage
- Year
- 1798
- Mint mark
- None (Philadelphia)
- Mintage
- Not recorded
- Composition
- Copper
- Weight
- 10.783 g
- Diameter
- 28 mm
No mint mark? Here is why
Philadelphia struck the 1798 United States 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.
What makes the 1798 United States Cent valuable
Documented examples of the 1798 United States 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.
Context adds the final layer to the 1798 United States Cent. 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.
1798 United States Cent inscriptions & design
Obverse
LIBERTY 1798
Liberty bust, r.
Reverse
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; ONE CENT; 1/100
wreath
Measured 1798 United States Cent specimens
12 physically measured 1798 United States Cent examples in our reference database. Real measured weights and die axes let you authenticate a coin against the 10.783 g, 28 mm minting standard.
| Specimen | Weight | Diameter | Die axis | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1798 United States Cent #1 | 11.964 g | 28 mm | - | Sheldon.148, Breen.1716, C-6, dies 5-E |
| 1798 United States Cent #2 | 10.667 g | 28 mm | - | Sheldon.152, Breen.1717, C.10, dies 8-H |
| 1798 United States Cent #3 | 10.509 g | 28 mm | - | Sheldon.156, Breen.1721, C.14, dies 12-K |
| 1798 United States Cent #4 | 10.92 g | 28 mm | - | Sheldon.159, Breen.1723 |
| 1798 United States Cent #5 | 10.83 g | 28 mm | - | Sheldon.160, Breen.1722, C.20, dies 17-O |
| 1798 United States Cent #6 | 10.987 g | 28 mm | - | Sheldon.162, Breen.1723, C.22, dies 18-O |
| 1798 United States Cent #7 | 10.476 g | 28 mm | - | Sheldon.169, Breen.1732, C.29, dies 22-U |
| 1798 United States Cent #8 | 10.783 g | 28 mm | - | Sheldon.184, Breen.1729, C.42, dies 31-EE |
| 1798 United States Cent #9 | - | - | - | Sheldon.172, Breen.1732 |
| 1798 United States Cent #10 | - | - | - | Sheldon.150, Breen.1717 |
| 1798 United States Cent #11 | - | - | - | Sheldon.157, Breen.1723 |
| 1798 United States Cent #12 | - | - | - | Sheldon.155, Breen.1720 |
Specifications compiled from documented museum specimens. See our data & methodology page.