Searching for error coins can be a fun activity

Collecting coins is a fascinating hobby. We currently have a number of old coins, including silver Mercury dimes and Washington quarters, wheat pennies, silver dollars, etc. It’s amazing to hold these coins and imagine the number of hands that have held them as well. One category of coins that is really intriguing for us is the error coins.

Simply put, these coins are mistakes made at the mint. And never were suppose to see the light of day. However, every now and then, one sneaks out into the public. Mistakes can range from double images in the design (double die), nicks from the coin dies leaving a raised area on the coin (die gouges and die scratches), to a coin partially imprinted with the mirror image of the coin design (brokage). Given their rarity, these coins can sometimes fetch a great price. Recently, mint errors found on the State Quarters have inspired many people to search through their pockets.

An interesting way to spend the evening as a family is to pour a bunch of coins on the table and search through them, looking for errors. A magnifying glass is helpful in searching the details of your coins. The Error Coin Auctions website provides a description of the many types of errors you might find.