Find Error Coins in Pocket Change in 8 Simple Steps

To me, one of the most amazing things about coin collecting as a hobby is that you don't need a lot of special tools or equipment to get started. Sure, these things help, but anybody can begin collecting coins right out of their pocket change! 140 million Americans are collecting State Quarters, and trying to put together a complete set of one of each State Quarter type out of pocket change is tougher than you might think!

For people who want to collect older coins right from circulation, the Jefferson Nickels simply can't be beat! I often find nickels from the 1940's and '50's when I search through rolls of nickels from the bank. I wrote an article awhile back about how to begin a collection of these great nickels right out of circulation, called How to Start a Coin Collection on $4. But easily the most valuable coins circulating through our pocket change these days are the error coins and die varieties. Some of these coins are worth thousands of dollars, as explained in The Top 10 Most Valuable Coins Found in Pocket Change.

Of course, knowing these error coins are out there, and being able to actually recognize one when you see it are two different things. Although most of the more valuable error coins and die varieties are pretty easy to see under decent magnification, (7x to 10x power,) they are rare, so the key to finding them is being able to quickly sort through lots of coins. I've written a step-by-step set of instructions that will teach you how to quickly check your coins. Whether you just want to make sure the coins that pass through your pockets aren't prized doubled dies, or you're serious about cherrypicking and buy rolls of coins every chance you get, if you learn these steps to examining your coins and let them become a habitual system of actions, you'll find that you can process a great volume of coins in a short time. Learn How to Find Error Coins in Pocket Change in 8 Simple Steps.

Photo of a typical error coin found in pocket change. This struck-through-grease nickel was found by Vira Horwith. Photography by Ken Potter, NLG.