Introduction to the US Mint Error Coin
By Brad Hall
A facet of coin collecting that is often times over looked is the US mint error coin. While for many years the error coin market was incredibly small, these days it is hotter than ever and more people are flocking to this exciting hobby. Of course there is much that goes into such a hobby and there is also a fair amount of research that one should do in order to enjoy the US mint error coin to its fullest.
To define what a US mint error coin is can be somewhat complicated. The short answer would be a coin that was incorrectly minted or struck while inside the US mint facility. There is much more that actually goes into the definition but that is a good starting point for the new collector. What matters most is that this is a great place to get away from the common hum-drum of normal coin collecting and reach new heights as far as rarity is concerned.
To be honest there have been US mint error coins since the inception of the mint but there has not been a market or a desire to collect them since that time. In the early days, error coins carried no value and therefore were disposed of or returned to the mint for replacing. But there were some people that saw the potential for the error coin and took hold of these rarities to take advantage of what was surely to come.
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 | US $400.00 (10 Bids) End Date: Monday Sep-05-2011 12:54:00 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list |
 | US $53.00 End Date: Monday Sep-05-2011 12:54:04 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $53.00 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
 | US $160.00 End Date: Monday Sep-05-2011 12:54:14 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $160.00 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
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 | US $49.99 End Date: Monday Sep-05-2011 12:54:17 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $49.99 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
 | US $161.00 (21 Bids) End Date: Monday Sep-05-2011 12:54:27 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list |
 | US $4.24 (2 Bids) End Date: Monday Sep-05-2011 12:54:28 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list |
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 | US $23.35 (5 Bids) End Date: Monday Sep-05-2011 12:54:42 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list |
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 | US $189.95 End Date: Monday Sep-05-2011 12:55:08 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $189.95 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
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 | US $145.50 (11 Bids) End Date: Monday Sep-05-2011 12:55:30 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list |
For some people, collecting error coins is a matter of getting what others can not. Unlike standard coin collecting, there is a good chance that you may own a one of a kind coin when you consider the error coins that are produced. This is very hard to accomplish when it comes to the standard version of coin collecting as there are thought to be many examples of nearly every coin known to the world.
All in all you should know that US mint error coin collecting is one of the fastest growing hobbies on the market today. With the release of the new designs there is sure some fabulous errors to be coming out of the mint and you do not want to miss them. Error coins are some of the most valuable coins in the world today and most often surpass the standard coin many times over in value and rarity.
About the Author
Brad Hall is the editor of http://us-mint-coins.blogspot.com the number one resource for US mint error coin information anywhere on the web.
