Hi guys, my name is Dane. I just joined the forum but I have a small collection of silver dollars and steel pennies. I am not a major collector but just starting to get into the hobby. I had questions about some of my common coins and what to expect out of error finding. I hope that it isn't improper for me to ask so many questions on my first post but I am just really interested and was happy to see an error section of the forums. I plan to keep researching and don't want you to think I'm trying to be spoon fed so feel free to answer anything with as little or as much detail as possible and skip other questions. Anything is helpful at this stage. I was going through my Connecticut Quarters to see if I had a broadside and found this border issue. It is minor but the border is smaller on one side than the other. I also went through some of my older pennies and noticed they had alignment issues as well, but on the pennies I am not sure if those years they were made that way? I found a lot of them had the same issue with the one in the left of the picture having the most severe of them. Lastly, I found one of my 1978 quarters had a stair step to the border on the right side of the coin. Once again, minor error but does this bring any real value to coins? I read articles about several errors that brings thousands of dollars and wonder if this is really true. It seems like a lot of coins have errors because it is easy to have calibration errors or other mistakes during printing. Since I am new and hope to be collecting for awhile, what do you guys use to clean coins that are in circulation? I am not talking about taking the patina off but to remove the grease, gum, dirt, or whatever else is stuck to the surface of the coin. Or do you just leave it as found? Lastly, I am looking to buy a metal detector so when me and the wife goes camping I have something to do along the trails. What do you guys recommend? Anything under a $1000 would be the budget but also don't need the latest and greatest. If I could save money then that would be good .
I have heard that the Garrett Ace metal detectors are good, and is what I see most have on YouTube. I have been wanting to get into the detecting hobby as a casual pursuit, and have been looking at purchasing either a Garrett Ace 250 or 300 possibly from Amazon. Not sure which.
Welcome to CoinTalk Dane C020! You should definitely check this website out if you want to learn more: http://www.error-ref.com it is packed full of great information. I'm fairly new to error coins myself but can tell you for sure the ridiculous coins you see going for top dollar are few and far between. So definitely go into it with the mindset of not expecting to "strike it rich." That being said there are cool errors out there that are attainable and command some premium. I believe the pennies you posted are slightly misalligned die coins which only command a premium if some of the design elements are effected. Here is a good older thread describing this in more detail: https://www.cointalk.com/threads/an-overview-of-misaligned-dies-mad-coins.71781/ As far as metal detectors go the previously mentioned machines are great for beginners. If you want a higher performance detector that may use close to your $1000 budget I recommend the Equinox 800 or Garrett AT max. These machines can do land great and salt/fresh water. A nice medium between these is the Garrett AT pro which can also be used in the water as well but is a little temperamental in salt water. You can get the pro for about $500 to $600.
Your photo could be better. A. If you used the upload a file feature in your post. B. Crop out all but the coin,
Thanks for the links and info! I am just collecting for fun, no hopes of striking it rich but that would be nice... Sorry, I will try to get better pictures next time. I took several with my phone but I need to get a better light setup and system for taking them. I will check that one out as well. This is all good info and my wife thinks I am such a nerd for wanting one but I bet she is going to love it just as much.
Rims on various coins can be thinner or thicker than others, due to various factors. Any variation The coins you've shown appear to be normal, except for the quarter, which looks like a minor MAD.
