Questions on searching for errors...
NewMackMatist
Posts: 42
I'm a causal collector and I like to collect proof sets and circulated coins that I find in change, lying on the street, etc. I've started branching out to 'slabbed coins' too but my main focus is circulated coins, mostly pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters. I'm currently storing them in the old style cardboard albums that you press the coin into the hole. I'm taking my collecting to the next level and starting to search through all the bins and books of coins I have. I just bought the book 'Strike it Rich with Pocket Change' and have started with the pennies, as it seems that there are more error varieties to find than in the other demoninations. I know I won't get rich, but it's fun going through the coins to see what I have and to put better coins in my albums. Luckily the book has pictures to show what to look for, but on some, the error is so subtle it looks near impossible to tell that it's an error. I'm currently using 10X glass with a light built in to the handle to illuninate the coin as I view it. If it looks questionable I put it in a seporate pile so I can double check it later with fresh eyes. Now on to the questions:
What power magnifing glass do you use to detect the Doubling, Repucnhed Mint Marks, Counter Clash, etc??
How likely am I to find one of these errors?? Are they so rare it's like hitting the lotto??
On a side note, I'm thinking of switching to the style of album with the mylar sheets to hold the coins in place so you can see the front and back of the coin. Is any one brand better than another?? Which do you all recomend??
Thanks for any help you can provide.
-Mack
What power magnifing glass do you use to detect the Doubling, Repucnhed Mint Marks, Counter Clash, etc??
How likely am I to find one of these errors?? Are they so rare it's like hitting the lotto??
On a side note, I'm thinking of switching to the style of album with the mylar sheets to hold the coins in place so you can see the front and back of the coin. Is any one brand better than another?? Which do you all recomend??
Thanks for any help you can provide.
-Mack
[the lynch mob comes across a toll-booth in the middle of the desert]
Taggart: Someone's gotta go back for a shit-load of dimes!
Taggart: Someone's gotta go back for a shit-load of dimes!
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Comments
Wow, lots of questions. Got to start somewhere and pocket change is a cheap and easy way to begin. I think many of us, if not
all of us collectors have at one time or the other gone through all our pocket change. Get rich, no not likely. Have fun, yep for sure.
Any of the methods you choose for storage is just fine. A 10x ought to be good enough for 99% of the errors. Anything that you
need a higher power for is probably not worth much. The more obvious and easiest to see errors are worth the most in most cases.
The book you have is a good one and I have been collecting over 50 years and have that book too!
Just go for it Mack and have fun!
Glad you are on board.
bob
The Cherry-Picker's Guide lists a lot more coins with a much better chance of find-
ing. Most of the desirable varieties can be seen with the naked eye or low mag-
nification but there are some that require a 10x or 18x glass. The best bet is to
scan with a wide field of vision low power glass to pick out coins that require a
closer look.
You're on the right track though. Putting a collection together gives you a good
reference set so you can compare oddballs to something.
Most of these varieties will be quite apparent once you see them. Don't expect to
find a lot right off the bat but as time goes by you'll start finding a few and you'll
get a lot better at looking for them.
I carry two glasses with me to shows for cherrypicking varieties. The main one I use is a 10x loupe. If I find something that I need to see closer, I have a Bausch & Lomb 20X Hastings Triplet that I use- it gives a good close-up when I need it.
As for books, the Cherrypicker's Guide is highly recommended. You may also want to check out the VAM Morgan Dollar Book, the Snow Indian Cent Books, and any of the Wiles RPM books...
--Christian
Apropos of the coin posse/aka caca: "The longer he spoke of his honor, the tighter I held to my purse."
-Mack
Taggart: Someone's gotta go back for a shit-load of dimes!