How to Spot Error Coins

Familiarize yourself with what normal coins look like. Most people carry around pockets full of change all their lives and never take a close look at any of it. All coins have an obverse design, reverse design and edge design. All coins list the country of origin, denomination and date. Many coins also have mint marks and mottoes like "E Pluribus Unum" on American coins.

Take a close look at the suspected error coin. If something strikes you as strange, compare it side by side with another coin of the same denomination. This will help you determine if there is an unusual feature on the suspected error coin. Obvious error coins will require little examination. These include coins stamped multiple times, coins stamped off center, coins stamped on partial planchets (coin blank), and coins stamped on the wrong kind of planchet.

Feel the edge of the coin. Some coins like pennies and nickels have smooth edges. Some coins like dimes and quarters have reeding around the edges. A few coins, like the presidential dollar coins, have lettering on the edge. If the edge of the coin is not what is normal for the denomination, you have an error coin.

Look through a magnifying glass at the date, lettering and mint mark on the coin. If any of the characters appear to have a ghost image or something appears to be stamped under it, the coin could be a double die error. Older coin dies had the date and mint mark manually stamped on them. This was sometimes done over mistakes or multiple times. The result is a popularly collected error coin.

Look at the features of the coin design through a magnifying glass. Some error coins have subtle differences not immediately obvious to the naked eye. One of the most famous error coins is the 1937-D three-legged buffalo nickel. The coin die was over polished, wiping out one of the buffalo's legs. It is currently one of the most valuable error coins.

Familiarize yourself with popular error coins and the error coin varieties collectors prize. Knowing what they look like will help you identify them. Many times people spend their error coins as pocket change without realizing they are valuable. Get in the habit of looking at all your coins before spending them.