1979 United States Cent Value
Today a 1979 United States Cent typically sells for its melt value to well into four figures, with condition doing most of the work. Exceptional, certified pieces regularly exceed the top of that range.
1979 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 a 1979 United States Cent worth right now?
The market for the 1979 United States Cent is driven by condition above all.
1979 United States Cent specifications
- Series
- United States Coinage
- Year
- 1979
- Mint mark
- None (Philadelphia)
- Mintage
- Not recorded
- Composition
- Brass
- Diameter
- 19 mm
The missing mint mark, explained
The 1979 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.
What makes the 1979 United States Cent valuable
Documented examples of the 1979 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 1979 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.
1979 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
Lincoln Memorial
Measured 1979 United States Cent specimens
2 physically measured 1979 United States Cent examples in our reference database. Real measured weights and die axes let you authenticate a coin against the g, 19 mm minting standard.
| Specimen | Weight | Diameter | Die axis | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 United States Cent #1 | - | 19 mm | - | Breen.2290 |
| 1979 United States Cent #2 | - | - | - | Breen.2290 |
Specifications compiled from documented museum specimens. See our data & methodology page.