AS I’VE NOTED BEFORE in these pages, one of my favorite online numismatic sites is CoinTalk, which you can access by going to cointalk.com. There, new collectors often begin their exposure to a forum by posting a coin they’ve found roll searching for error coins. They’re almost always sure that what they’ve found is going to make them rich.
About 99 percent of the time what the new collector thinks is a doubled die cent or one with a second mintmark over the original one or something even more esoteric is actually a coin with post-minting damage, which is worth only face value. At this point, the novice is told to buy a Red Book (Guide Book of United States Coins) and study it.
I agree with this advice, and you’ll find my review of the 2022 Red Book elsewhere in this magazine. If you’re new to coin collecting, I have a suggestion for your actions following the Red Book purchase: Use your new book to help you assemble a 20th century type set through the dollar denomination. If you can afford it, continue this exercise with gold issues. I’ll have more to say about a 20th century gold type set next time.
A type set is a collection of one of each design type within a denomination. For example, for the 20th century U.S. cent issues, your set would consist of
