For those looking for cent errors. Here are a couple of good reference sites with pictures of the errors.
A Comprehensive Web Encyclopedia of U.S. Copper Coinage
The Lincoln Cent Resource
I've only used the first one, but the second one looks good as well from a first glance.
When I used to look for errors (and I might again someday), here was my process:
Step 1)
Sort in one pass. Pull all the coins I wanted to keep (wheats, foreigns, etc.) into their separate piles. Also create a separate pile for each date/mintmark I am going to do error checks on. I always put time in date order just so they were easy to find. If you do enough, are consistent on which errors you look for, and arrange the piles in the same way, you don't necessarily need to even look at the piles when sorting them as it becomes second nature (at least it did for me).
Step 2)
For each of the potential error piles, line the coins up in an array (usually 5 or 10 wide) with each coin lined up with the side of the error up and the orientation the same and then use a loupe and scan each coin looking at the spot (or spots) where the error (or errors) could occur. By lining them up in this way I found that my overall search time seemed to be shortened.
Step 3)
For each error found, put it in one of of those 2x2 cardboard coin flips and label it with the error found.
I haven't been searching for errors for a few years now as I am focused more on pulling wheats. By removing error searching my time to search $50 was decreased dramatically as I no longer had to flip every coin over to read its date just read the date if the obverse is up or pick out the wheat ears if the reverse is up.
Good luck and happy hunting.
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