It’s usually a small thing that turns regular looking money into valuable rare coins. Last year’s materials used instead of this year’s, a tiny symbol left off a minting die. Collectors covet the unusual and uncommon above all else, and these minor oversights result in a very limited number of coins. This means that supply is much lower than demand, and even something that looks almost exactly like a common penny can actually be a precious rare coin. Even more interesting is that many of these rare coins were released into circulation before anyone realized that a mistake had been made. Because not many people know what distinguishes precious rare coins from run-of-the-mill legal tender, these coins can remain in circulation for decades, until a lucky coin collector recognizes them.

How would you feel if you knew that you had handed over a penny worth $2,000 or more as change for a dollar? This guide will help you recognize a few exceptional American rare coins that you just might have lying around your house, shoved in a change jar, or tucked away into a pocket.

Rare Coins with Mistakes in the Printing

One of the most common mistakes that turn normal coins into limited rare coins is a mistake in the printing. In the case of a nickel minted in 1964, the problem happened when a plate was cleaned too often, and a part of one letter was worn away, leaving the Jefferson nickel with the inscription “E PLURIDUS UNUM.” It took collectors quite some time to catch on to the misspelling of the word “PLURIBUS,” but now these limited nickels are highly sought after. A similar problem resulted in the 1970-S Atheist Cent, when the motto “In God We Trust” was covered with a blob of metal, causing it to read only “In God.”

Another common oversight is when the mint mark, the tiny letter on most American coins that indicates which mint created the coin, is missing or incorrect. Some rare coins with this mistake include the The 1982 no-P Roosevelt dime. The Philadelphia mint used no mint mark until 1980, when it started stamping coins with tiny P’s. Yet somehow, a small number of dimes minted in 1982 were a throwback to the time before the mint mark, and bear no letter P. There were only a few coins with this error, and their scarce nature has made them valuable to collectors. A similar problem happened in Philadelphia a few years later, when the P on the die of some 1989 quarters was clogged with dirt, preventing the coins from being properly stamped.

Rare Coins with Double Printing

Minting problems don’t only involve the writing on the coin. Sometimes a problem with the die causes a coin to be double stamped accidentally, resulting in a very unusual form of rare coins. Some precious coins with double stamping include doubled-die Lincoln cents from 1972, 1983, and 1984, and a doubled quarter minted in New York in 2001.

Rare Coins with the Wrong Metals

Other than printing problems, another reason why rare coins can be minted is when the wrong precious metals are used to make the coins. American coins have undergone several changes in material. For example, during World War II, pennies were made out of steel, because copper was needed for the war effort. Nevertheless, a very few pennies were minted in 1943 out of copper instead. These rare coins are worth upwards of $200,000 today, and they look exactly like any other penny.

As you can see, sharp-eyed coin collectors can really make a profit by keeping their eyes for rare coins in everyday transactions. Most people wouldn’t look twice at a unique find like a 1943 copper penny or a dime that’s missing a letter nearly too small to see. By knowing what coins are limited and rare, you could make an exceptional find just sorting through your household change.

Charles Roman

Coins and Coin Collecting http://www.coinsandcoincollecting.com/ : your guide to getting the very best from your coin collection.

Coin collectors use a numbering system to give collectors an accurate measure of the condition a coin is in. This numbering system ranges between 1 and 70. “1″ being the worst possible condition of a coin, and 70 meaning flawless.

The numbers tell collectors many things, like how much wear is on the coin and if there are any damaging marks on the coin. There are very few coins out there with a 70 grade on them. It is very rare, and most coins minted have flaws, even if they are ever so slight.

Grading coins is a science, and once you learn that science, putting a grade and a value on that coin will become much easier for you. Plus you will be able to accurately grade coins at auctions, coin dealers, and private collectors, so you will not get ripped off if someone is trying to sell you something at a higher price than it is worth.

So, coin grading is very important in the hobby of coin collecting, and learning this practice will greatly enhance your skills in the hobby and make you much more aware of current prices and rates that certain coins are going for.

How to Grade US Coins is a great starter for hobbyist trying to learn the art of coin grading. This book will go over all the different aspects of coin grading, and all the different grades of coins. It is a great reference to any hobbyist, and comes highly recommended.

Professional Coin Grading Service is a great service for those who either have had a hard time learning the fine art, or need a professional grading service to grade a particular rare coin. They also come highly recommended, and for some of your more finer specimens, a professional coin grading service is the way to go, to get a more accurately graded coin.

So check out our coin grading button, and learn the different types of grades for your coins, read the recommended reading on grading your US coins, or have a professional coin grading service do the work for you. Either way, accurately having your coins graded will easily put a value on your collection, and could quite save you a lot of money in the buying of coins for your collection.

Jon Gammon is the author and webmaster at The Coin Alley, visit the website to learn all about the wonderful world of coin collecting.

Riverbanks – Ponds – Lakes – Swimming Holes: These locations are true treasure hunting top spots. The Riverbank is a huge area that can provide a lifetime of detecting. River banks were used as ferry crossings, and some had covered bridges with toll stations. The local old timers may be able to tell you where the local fishing and old swimming spots were. Remember many of the old fishing spots were also drinking and partying spots, and at the swimming holes a lot of people took off their outer clothes, losing change as they did. And going back even earlier in the years, folks would take their clothes to the riverbanks to wash them in the water. The same goes for old farm ponds, many were used as a favorite summer time swimming spot or picnic area. The banks and shores of rivers, ponds, streams, lakes etc, are great locations for coins, jewelry, trinkets and more.

Schools – Churches: These are also ‘HOT’ areas for metal detecting, most towns or even rural areas have a school, some have multiple ones. Schools that are currently open during school season are a great place to find modern coins and even a few clad coins, also numerous trinkets, diecast cars, and cheaper jewelry items can easily be found on modern school grounds.

If you are as lucky as I am, then you live in a rural or country area that keeps a lot of their old buildings. I know where there are two old buildings that served as one room school houses, these places were open in the late 1800′s to the early 1940′s. Just imagine the wonderful finds these old grounds may be hiding. The old one room school houses also served as churches, social halls, farm grange buildings, and as meeting places for scouts, ladies aid societys and more.

Many old Churches and one room schol houses had there own treasure chests, that’s right. When these buildings were constructed, the local kids and adults would bury a chest on the grounds or under a corner stone of the building. The chest was a sort of time capsule containing coins, newspapers and other unique items from the time when the building was erected. Many of these old buildings rotted away over time, and folks forgot about the buried time capsule located near the corner stone.

Searching the land a church is on is like searching for a pirates loot, you never know what you may find. And a lot of churches are very old, even many of the modern ones are like schools, they are built on the grounds where old ones stood. Churches were often the first buildings built in many towns. Right here where I live are numerous churches, and one was built in the early 1700′s. Church buildings not only housed people on sundays but, most were wedding sites, reception halls, dance halls, dinner sites, ice cream social locations, group meeting spots and much more.

Woods – The woods can be awesome for metal detecting if one knows what to look for. Look for old paths, those are great places to detect along. Old paths in the woods served as shortcuts to open fields for farmers to get their equipment through, or for cattle to follow and more. In a wooded area not far from where I grew up as a child I know where there is an old path, now grown up with trees and bushes, most folks would overlook it or not know it’s history. My grandfather and dad built the road by blasting stumps with dynamite and by hand cutting trees. They used the path to quickly get tractors, and other farm machinery to another open field below the woods. Just imagine the number of times my own dad and grandfather probably sat along that old road, eating their lunch or sipping some cool lemonaid underneath the shade of a large tree. Any time someone sat along a road eating lunch, they would often pull an old cloth hanky from their pocket to blow their nose or even wipe their mouth, often losing some pocket change at the same time.

Another rare but great metal detecting site that can often be found in the woods is old stone foundations and old stone chimneys, each has the potential for a rare gold coin or a jar of old silver dollars. Remember at one time this old stone foundation or fireplace was part of a familys home, with kids playing, parties and numerous outdoor activites.

Some other great Metal Detecting sites are – Parks, Beaches, Old Ball Fields, Playgrounds, Fairgrounds, Camping Sites, Camps, Ghost Towns, Battlefields, Old Picnic Spots. Make sure that you have permission to search and dig in any location you are going to do your detecting at.

There is Computer Software that is made just for the hobby of Metal Detecting. The software is called: ‘Metal Detector – Treasure Hunter Professional’, and may be seen at this website address:

http://www.rb59.com/md/meal.html

By Robert W. Benjamin

Copyright © 2006

You may publish this article in your ezine, newsletter on your web site as long as it is reprinted in its entirety and without modification except for formatting needs or grammar corrections.

Robert W. Benjamin has been in the software business on the internet for over 5 years, and has been producing low-cost software for the past 25+ years. He first released products on the AMIGA and C64 computer systems in the late 1970′s-80′s.

RB59.COM Software

http://www.rb59.com/software