Beginner's List Of Coins To Watch Out For?

Appears you have done a nice job with the initial sort.

There have been plenty of posts about varieties to look for in post 1964 US coins, do a forum search and you'll come up with a handful of websites dedicated to varieties.

Be aware that the majority of modern coinage varieties have minimal numismatic value and are primarily of interest to specialized collectors. If you are hoping to cherrypick something valuable from your stash of modern coins it's likely not worth your time.

Should you decide to proceed regardless of the time/reward factor, two references could help you: any modern variety listed in the RedBook would have some value and purchase as well a copy of ' CherryPickers Guide to rare die varieties'.

the most return for your time from the clad coin era comes from mint state examples, that is, coins that to the naked eye show no sign of circulation

within your $500 worth, look for the coins than stand out due to lack of marks on them, and then handle them only by the edges so you don't leave fingerprints, set them aside since they might be worth keeping, then post the best examples in the grading subforum to get feedback