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1948 Lincoln Cent Date Guide

Franklin half dollar debuts

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1948 overview Mintage, history, and notes for this year's cents

Philadelphia (MS)

Photo Credit: Cotgreave Collection

(click images above to see larger view)

Mintage
317,570,000
Mintage Ranking for Type
(20 of 140)

Denver (MS)

Photo Credit: Cotgreave Collection

(click images above to see larger view)

Mintage
172,637,500
Mintage Ranking for Type
(49 of 140)

San Francisco (MS)

Photo Credit: Cotgreave Collection

(click images above to see larger view)

Mintage
81,735,000
Mintage Ranking for Type
(70 of 140)

1948 in history

1948 in history
  • The Franklin half dollar by John R. Sinnock replaced the Walking Liberty design on fifty-cent pieces.
  • Lincoln cents and Roosevelt dimes filled cash registers during the postwar consumer boom.
  • Harry S. Truman won election in a surprising upset over Thomas E. Dewey.
  • The Berlin Airlift began after the Soviet Union blockaded West Berlin.
  • Israel declared independence on May 14; neighboring Arab states attacked the next day.
  • Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated in New Delhi on January 30.
  • The Organization of American States was founded in Bogota, Colombia.
  • The first Porsche sports car was introduced in Germany.

1948 Lincoln cent year notes

Production was up again as the post-war economy began to bounce back from recession. Nearly twice the number of cents were minted compared to 1947, yet the quality did not improve much. Soft details continue to be the general rule, although higher grade, sharply struck coins are available. Doubled dies continue to be on the down side as most examples found are minor. Class 6 obverses are the most typical, but be wary that master die doubling in the form of a minor class 6 spread shows on many coins minted this year. Like with all other examples of master die doubling, little or no premium value is warranted because it is extremely common. Repunched mintmarks are up by a few from last year, but are still far short of levels produced in 1946. Around a dozen different repunched mintmarks are known for each branch mint. None of the known repunched mintmarks are major or particularly valuable for this year. Some unsubstantiated reports have surfaced that there is more than one style of mintmark found on 1948-S cents. The reports indicate that the sans-serif style mintmark introduced in 1946 was still used on some 1948-S cents. I have not seen any examples of mintmarks other than the now standard serif style mintmark introduced in 1945. Please report any coins you find to the contrary. Overall, a noticeably dull year is in store while searching through 1948 cents. Master die doubling visible on most 1948 cents shows as light extra thickness especially noticeable in TRUST.Production was up again as the post-war economy began to bounce back from recession. Nearly twice the number of cents were minted compared to 1947, yet the quality did not improve much. Soft details continue to be the general rule, although higher grade, sharply struck coins are available.

Doubled dies continue to be on the down side as most examples found are minor. Class 6 obverses are the most typical, but be wary that master die doubling in the form of a minor class 6 spread shows on many coins minted this year. Like with all other examples of master die doubling, little or no premium value is warranted because it is extremely common.

Repunched mintmarks are up by a few from last year, but are still far short of levels produced in 1946. Around a dozen different repunched mintmarks are known for each branch mint. None of the known repunched mintmarks are major or particularly valuable for this year.

Some unsubstantiated reports have surfaced that there is more than one style of mintmark found on 1948-S cents. The reports indicate that the sans-serif style mintmark introduced in 1946 was still used on some 1948-S cents. I have not seen any examples of mintmarks other than the now standard serif style mintmark introduced in 1945. Please report any coins you find to the contrary.

Overall, a noticeably dull year is in store while searching through 1948 cents.

Master die doubling visible on most 1948 cents shows as light extra thickness especially noticeable in TRUST.

This year represents yet another year where finding Phgiladelphia mint cents in upper grades is difficult. While the MS66RD graded coins for Denver and San Francisco linger in the $20-$30 range, the Philadelphia mint coins enjoy a significant power-up to $60 or more in MS55RD. This is not because of mintage nearly as much as overall production quality at the Philadelphia Mint.

Pricing suffers a bit in BU rolls because none of them are hard to find, and Denver mint and San Francisco Mint rolls can still be found in pristine condition.

Images/Mintage Mint issues and coin images for 1948

Philadelphia (MS)

Photo Credit: Cotgreave Collection

(click images above to see larger view)

Mintage
317,570,000
Mintage Ranking for Type
(20 of 140)

Denver (MS)

Photo Credit: Cotgreave Collection

(click images above to see larger view)

Mintage
172,637,500
Mintage Ranking for Type
(49 of 140)

San Francisco (MS)

Photo Credit: Cotgreave Collection

(click images above to see larger view)

Mintage
81,735,000
Mintage Ranking for Type
(70 of 140)
1948 in history What else was happening that year
1948 in history
  • The Franklin half dollar by John R. Sinnock replaced the Walking Liberty design on fifty-cent pieces.
  • Lincoln cents and Roosevelt dimes filled cash registers during the postwar consumer boom.
  • Harry S. Truman won election in a surprising upset over Thomas E. Dewey.
  • The Berlin Airlift began after the Soviet Union blockaded West Berlin.
  • Israel declared independence on May 14; neighboring Arab states attacked the next day.
  • Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated in New Delhi on January 30.
  • The Organization of American States was founded in Bogota, Colombia.
  • The first Porsche sports car was introduced in Germany.
1948 cent notes Collector notes for this year's Lincoln cents

Production was up again as the post-war economy began to bounce back from recession. Nearly twice the number of cents were minted compared to 1947, yet the quality did not improve much. Soft details continue to be the general rule, although higher grade, sharply struck coins are available. Doubled dies continue to be on the down side as most examples found are minor. Class 6 obverses are the most typical, but be wary that master die doubling in the form of a minor class 6 spread shows on many coins minted this year. Like with all other examples of master die doubling, little or no premium value is warranted because it is extremely common. Repunched mintmarks are up by a few from last year, but are still far short of levels produced in 1946. Around a dozen different repunched mintmarks are known for each branch mint. None of the known repunched mintmarks are major or particularly valuable for this year. Some unsubstantiated reports have surfaced that there is more than one style of mintmark found on 1948-S cents. The reports indicate that the sans-serif style mintmark introduced in 1946 was still used on some 1948-S cents. I have not seen any examples of mintmarks other than the now standard serif style mintmark introduced in 1945. Please report any coins you find to the contrary. Overall, a noticeably dull year is in store while searching through 1948 cents. Master die doubling visible on most 1948 cents shows as light extra thickness especially noticeable in TRUST.Production was up again as the post-war economy began to bounce back from recession. Nearly twice the number of cents were minted compared to 1947, yet the quality did not improve much. Soft details continue to be the general rule, although higher grade, sharply struck coins are available.

Doubled dies continue to be on the down side as most examples found are minor. Class 6 obverses are the most typical, but be wary that master die doubling in the form of a minor class 6 spread shows on many coins minted this year. Like with all other examples of master die doubling, little or no premium value is warranted because it is extremely common.

Repunched mintmarks are up by a few from last year, but are still far short of levels produced in 1946. Around a dozen different repunched mintmarks are known for each branch mint. None of the known repunched mintmarks are major or particularly valuable for this year.

Some unsubstantiated reports have surfaced that there is more than one style of mintmark found on 1948-S cents. The reports indicate that the sans-serif style mintmark introduced in 1946 was still used on some 1948-S cents. I have not seen any examples of mintmarks other than the now standard serif style mintmark introduced in 1945. Please report any coins you find to the contrary.

Overall, a noticeably dull year is in store while searching through 1948 cents.

Master die doubling visible on most 1948 cents shows as light extra thickness especially noticeable in TRUST.

This year represents yet another year where finding Phgiladelphia mint cents in upper grades is difficult. While the MS66RD graded coins for Denver and San Francisco linger in the $20-$30 range, the Philadelphia mint coins enjoy a significant power-up to $60 or more in MS55RD. This is not because of mintage nearly as much as overall production quality at the Philadelphia Mint.

Pricing suffers a bit in BU rolls because none of them are hard to find, and Denver mint and San Francisco Mint rolls can still be found in pristine condition.

Design types Obverse and reverse engravings in use for 1948

Obverse design types (ODT)

  • Flat serif G obverse
    Flat serif G obverse — ODT09 · 1922–1929 · business · 1931–1933 · business · 1935–1955 · business · 1936–1942 · proof · 1950–1955 · proof

Reverse design types (RDT)

See the design types reference. Design types identify engraved designs; when differing designs create collectible alternatives within a year, see Lincoln cent design varieties.

Mint mark types Punch styles used on 1948 Lincoln cents

See the mint mark types reference.

Typical values Series price guide for regular-issue 1948 cents

1948 Lincoln cents from the CopperCoins series price guide (August/September 2026 edition) — approximate values only, not offers to buy or sell. Business strikes show separate BN, RB, and RD lines where priced.

Business strike

Issue G4 VG8 F12 VF20 EF40 AU50
1948-P BN 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.10 0.10
1948-P RB
1948-P RD
1948-D BN 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.10 0.10
1948-D RB
1948-D RD
1948-S BN 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.10 0.10
1948-S RB
1948-S RD
Issue G4 VG8 F12 VF20 EF40 AU50
1948-P BN 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.10 0.10
1948-P RB
1948-P RD
1948-D BN 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.10 0.10
1948-D RB
1948-D RD
1948-S BN 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.10 0.10
1948-S RB
1948-S RD
Die varieties in the catalog Attributed 1948 dies by mint and variety type

Our attribution catalog for 1948—doubled dies, repunched mint marks, and related varieties documented by die number. This is specialist research beyond regular issue Lincoln cents.

Search all 1948 dies Variety value guide for 1948

Catalogued dies for 1948

Number of assigned dies in the CopperCoins catalog, by mint and variety type. Click a count to search that group.

Mint DO Doubled Die Obverse DR Doubled Die Reverse MM Repunched Mint Mark Total
Philadelphia (P) 4 0 N/A 4
Denver (D) 8 1 30 39
San Francisco (S) 5 1 18 24
All mints 17 2 48 67
Variety plate coin videos Roll-reveal videos that sourced plate coins for 1948 dies

Videos on our YouTube channel that show when the plate coins for these dies were found in CopperCoins roll reveal videos.

See all 33 videos

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