I have zippo experience with these coins. I have seen many examples of various errors and am beginning to take an interest in this area. I have read some info on them and searched the net for info. My question is, where do you begin? I do not want to be a big collector of errors but would like to have a few examples. Any suggestions on which to buy?
My only advice right now is, no matter how much you want to spend on errors, start out buying the ones that cost below 10 bucks, that way you get a feel of what an RPM looks like exactly close up, and what hub doubling is compared to machine doubling...That's about it, that's how I went about it, and the only time I got ripped off was for about 1 buck ...
There is no one error that I am drawn to,they all are kinda neat. But if I had to pick it would be either offset's / clips or coins punched on the wrong planchets. I want to stay below $20 per coin for now until I learn more about them.
Off-center Lincoln cents are well within your price range. You can buy clipped cents too. Just make sure that the modern ones have the copper plating covering the entire coin, including the edge of the clip area.
After searching ebay, this question arose. How do they grade coins that are 50% or more offset, or any offset coin for that matter? Do they just grade the visible features?
Another question. How can you tell if a clipped coin is one that was mistamped at the mint as opposed to someone clipping the coin themselves? Also, blank planchets, what are they worth? I saw a "set" on ebay of blank planchets of a penny, nickel, dime, quarter, and half. Thought tht was pretty neat.
I read a book that contained information which explained the minting process, and how errors occur. Once I had a basic understanding, I was better able to make informed buying decisions.
Collecting errors is a whole field unto itself. While many common errors exist such as the well known double dies or rotated reverses, there are many that can stand out among them. Flipped over strikes, mules, broken planchets, over strikes, multiple strikes. Often these types of errors are truly one of kind. There are many books written on the subject. If you wish to start collecting errors, I would highly suggest that you spend a great deal of time researching the various types first.
My question is, where do you begin? I do not want to be a big collector of errors but would like to have a few examples. Any suggestions on which to buy? First let me say...Hello All...this being my first post. I've been a reader long enough I too have been bitten by the error coin bug. For me it was a die filled 2000 Roosevelt, with the last zero missing that I got back in change. As a relative newbie, I'll share what I've come to understand so far. The best place to begin??? Your own pockets. Really. Start looking closer at what you get back in change. Have a bottle full of coins? Dump it out and take a look. Its a lot cheaper, and you may be pleasantly suprised at what you already have and didn't know about. The more you look, you more you will get to know what a "normal" coin looks like and the more differences will "jump" out at you. I recently found a 1984 "jailhouse" Lincoln (die-clash) not because I immediately knew what it was, but simply because it looked odd. A word on buying..... As you will see posted many many times here. Read, research, and read some more. This does two things in my mind. First, it goes a long ways in keeping from being burnt. With all that you can find by just doing a simple google.com search, it amazes me how often people fall for some of the trash on ebay and such. Secondly, researching errors, or what you hope is one, will deepen your understanding of error coins (error vs damage, types of errors, how they occur, rarity, collectibility, etc) And will help you to find out what coins you are most passionate about, making error collecting all the more enjoyable. Hope this helps answer your initial questions a little bit more. Have fun!
