1938 United States Cent Value
A 1938 United States Cent is worth roughly its melt value to well into four figures depending on its condition. Certified examples in top grades can run far higher.
1938 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.
How much is a 1938 United States Cent worth today?
Pricing for the 1938 United States Cent depends on grade and current collector demand.
1938 United States Cent specifications
- Series
- United States Coinage
- Year
- 1938
- Mint mark
- None (Philadelphia)
- Mintage
- Not recorded
- Composition
- Bronze
No mint mark? Here is why
The 1938 United States Cent 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.
Where this coin's value comes from
The series itself does some of the lifting for the 1938 United States Cent: Documented United States coin types preserved in museum collections, with measured specifications for each date, denomination and mint. Broad, multigenerational demand for the design gives every date, including this one, a deep and liquid market.
Documented examples of the 1938 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.
1938 United States Cent inscriptions & design
Obverse
IN GOD WE TRUST / LIBERTY / (date)
Lincoln bust r., motto top, date l.
Reverse
E PLURIBUS UNUM / ONE CENT / UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
two wheat stalks
Measured 1938 United States Cent specimens
4 physically measured 1938 United States Cent examples in our reference database. Real measured weights and die axes let you authenticate a coin against the g, mm minting standard.
| Specimen | Weight | Diameter | Die axis | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1938 United States Cent #1 | - | - | - | Breen.2141 |
| 1938 United States Cent #2 | - | - | - | Breen.2141 |
| 1938 United States Cent #3 | - | - | - | Breen.2143 |
| 1938 United States Cent #4 | - | - | - | Breen.2142 |
Specifications compiled from documented museum specimens. See our data & methodology page.