Errors and varieties are my favorite type of coins. Where do I start collecting them. And I mean like the actual stuff, not just the "doubled die" I mean specific varieties like WDDO 2 whatever I was on a website that said it is good to start with copper memorial cents, then wheats, then like bufallo nickels, then standing liberty quarters, and thats all they said. Idk I think that order is strange SL quarters can get expensive. What order do you think I should do? Also what are some good websites? I already know about doubleddie.com but dont know any else. I hope to get Volume I and II of The Cherrypickers Guide.
The only trick to cherrypicking is to know more about the coin in front of you than the person selling it. If there is a particular series that interests you the most, learn everything about it (e.g. if you love Morgans, learn all the big VAMs). I know a guy who can attribute a 1794 cent with the correct Sheldon number without looking at any reference books. Get the Cherrypickers' guide, of course, but also consider the Cherrypicker's Pocket Guide for taking to shows. Most of all, have fun with it. DDOs, DDRs, and RPMs are among the easiest varieties to spot with a good eye and a good loupe, so you can get started there. But, as you said, it doesn't end there.
The biggest thing is to find a series that interests you. Cherrypicking is strictly about learning. If you pick a series that has little interest for you, you won't find it enjoyable. There are lots of series with lots of varieties to search for. Some of my favorites are Mercury Dimes, Washington Quarters and Walking Liberty Half Dollars. Walking Liberty Half Dollars don't have very many notable varieties that carry decent premiums, but there are some. Cherrypicking doesn't only mean varieties or errors. Honing your grading skills, especially in the MS end of some common series can give you pretty decent rewards. Being able to spot a Washington Quarter that could grade as an MS-67 in a MS-65 or MS-66 holder or even one being sold raw can be very nice. As @Paul M. said, it's about knowing more about a coin than the seller. Knowledge will reward you more often than luck, but luck can give you the biggest reward. By luck I mean being in the right place at the right time with the knowledge to inform yourself of what you are looking at. A word of warning, variety hunting which is the same as VAM'ing will become very addicting. So have fun, we are here to support you and help confirm for you. Here's a couple more sites to help you along your way. http://www.doubleddie.com/1801.html http://varietyvista.com/index.htm
That's the bottom line, of course. But that can also mean just paying closer attention than the person selling it. Many dealer's can't afford to spend hours picking through all the junk silver they buy just in case there's (say) a 1942/1-D Mercury hiding there, even though they know perfectly well how to spot them. For a lot of us, though, spending hours doing that is the best part of the hobby.
Thanks guys, for christmas I just got the cherrypickers guide volume I. Nice because some of my favorite series are wheats, buffalos, etc. I also though like morgans but they can get too expensive. So sometime Ill get vol. II.
But I like cents mostly, they have nice varieties. I want to start with a cent series and one of the lincoln series. But I dont know, what series is easiest and least difficult, Wheats, Copper Memorial, Zinc Memorial 2009s, or union shield cents. I like them all equally so I dont know what to start with. Probably not union shield cents because they are new and not much research is known on them. But what is easiest?
Just do understand that cherrypickers is not an all-inclusive reference. It lists only select varieties that are more popular and/or valuable. If cents interest you the most, you'll find that online references are light years better. As for the "easiest", it's not such a simple question. If the thrill of finding something/anything matters most, you'll probably find that whatever comes from everyday rolls to fit the bill (there are many very minor varieties that can quite easily be found in change). However, if hoping for something more significant/valuable, you need to understand varieties that fit into this category do so for a reason and are not likely to just fall into your lap. Opportunities often present themselves when least expected, so as the others have suggested, knowledge is key, and having it will allow you the best chance to succeed regardless of the situation.
You may need more than his two guides books[Cherry Pickers Guide]. Bill has a fifth Edition of the Vol II and may have a six edition out now. Bill also has a pocket guide Bill Fivaz's Counterfeit Detection Guide first printed in 1997. He has many other books. Another book is the Walter Breen's Complete Encyclopedia of U. S. and Colonial Coins printed in 1988.
The Red Book Complete Guide To Lincoln Cents (specific) might also be an option, as you mention starting with cents. And a good relationship with your local bank or Credit Union. I notice you are 12 years old, no better time to open up a savings account so you can start that bank relationship early in order to request rolls of coins and be able to drop them off at the same bank when you are done with them. If you are doing roll searching then be prepared not to find many wheat cents, as your focus this way would be more on Memorial and Shield cents. There are plenty of errors/varieties on the Memorial cents and doubled die coins in the Shield series.
You're already on the right track. Narrow down your focus, there's a lot to learn and if you concentrate no one issue, you can pick up the patterns that make it all a lot easier. You can get a feel for what "good" doubling generally looks like compared to machine doubling, and once you have that one thing down pat you can eliminate 90% of the doubling you see right off the bat, saving the time to concentrate on the more interesting stuff. The same applies to telling repunched/overpunched mint marks - the majority of what newer collectors think are RPMs/OMMs are either plain damage or maybe die chips, and there are patterns you can learn to eliminate the ones which don't need your attention. Look at coins. Lots of coins. If you're concentrating on Lincolns, even if you don't post in the threads, read every Lincoln thread which appears here. Look at other people's pictures, and learn from the dialogue.
Yep, I already know most the tellers. I just found a 1996-D WDDO-001 FS-01-1996D-101 the other day. Found another wierd kennedy half error and have no clue what happened to it.
I also just realized that a coin i found coin roll hunting (1916 buffalo nickel) was 2 feathered! I had to clean it though to get a date off of it a while ago. Feel regrets but it would still be somewhat worthless if it had no date. Its technically FS-402 395248.
My suggestion (advice) is beginners should focus on Repunched Mint Marks (RPMs) from the Lincoln Memorial series 1959 to 1982. The reason is it is best to start with higher grade coins - AU - Unc which are fairly inexpensive in the memorial Series. The copper plated zinc Lincolns struck from 1982 forward will contain coin striking anomalies due to the plating which make attribution more difficult for beginners. RPMs allows a beginner to zero in on one specific aspect of a coin's design - the mint mark. Most of the characteristics and pitfalls one encounters searching for and attributing RPMs are basically the same one encounters when searching for doubled dies. Once you are comfortable with the higher grade RPMs - you can expand to lower grade coins, doubled dies and other coin series. In my opinion the transition to doubled dies and other coin series is not very difficult (Although other coin series are not cataloged as extensively as the Lincoln Cent). The transition to lower grade coins introduces additional attribution challenges being the design devices are not as sharp and therefore more difficult.
