I have read on several different threads (not sure which forums) that people have used a microscope to look at their coins. What type of microscope will look at coins? The microscopes that I have seen will not show solid materials. Please advice on what type of microscope I should look for. I really need one. My eyes are not so good.
I'm a big fan of the 'scope. You will want a low power stereo microscope. Type in 'coin microscope' in eBay and you will see a bunch of them. I use a zoom 'scope that goes from 2X-90X. A 5X-10X-15X-20X model should cover your needs.
I use a digital blue microscope - only has 10x, 60x and 200x. I never use 200x, but first snap is from the 10x setting, second from 60x. Works for my purposes.
Some people also talk about digital USB microscopes for looking at coins. You can find cheap ones on Ebay starting about $30 or so. I don't know how these work, but I just got a Dino-Lite digital microscope and I love it. It will allow you to view the coin and take pictures on your computer. I am still learning the ins and outs, but it's great so far.
Thank you very much for your advice. I will do some research on the ones you have suggested. Hopefully, I will be able to get one very soon.
If you have two working eyes, a stereo microscope will allow you to see your coins in 3D. The others won't.
Yeah - but what about those of us who can't see 3D? Like the movies or pictures. LOL - people make fun of me on some of that and HD tv. I see colors better on HD, but the picture looks the same to me as regular TV. Must be all these users of working on 'puters.
Hmmmmm...the brain is supposed to take the image from each eye and combine them to give that 3D effect. Is your brain working properly? Just kidding of course! I'm colorblind myself, and those expensive HD TVs don't give me my moneys worth. LOL
Mark, the stereo microscopes produce the 3-D effect with normal lens and light like a pair of binoculars. If you can use binoculars and manage to see just one image in your brain, you can do the same with a stereo microscope. Jim
Well - with binoculars I can get one picture. So for example - put six pictures on a table in different positions. All 6 will look at the same distance and flat to me. Another example - on a golf course with a hole with a tree behind and left and right. All three trees will look the same distance. Do you remember 30 years ago when they gave you eye tests right before you took the driving test - one of the tests was the balls floating in the eye piece. You had to pick the closest and farthest - etc. Well the guy almost flunked me on that. Seriously - to this day some people just do not believe me. There are some things that do help me - take the pictures and turn them some sideways. Then I can get a sense of depth. Really the closer things are the better I am. Also looking straigt up into the sky makes me dizzy because I can not get any depth perception at all. Much better when I look down from height cause the terrain(or view) gives me the sense of depth.
I'm a fan of just ordinary magnifying glasses. If I took the time to look at every coin of mine in a microscope, I'd be doing nothing but that for the rest of my life. I've got a few microscopes but just no time for each coin. An example is with well over 3,000 Mercury Dimes, looking at each one for about 1 minute, 1 or 2 more minutes to set each one up just right, taking them out and putting them away would be about 500 hours. With other coins in albums, rolls, 2x2's, etc, just no time for a microscopic searching of my collections.
I just use magnifying glass to look at the coins and if I find something intresting I have digital blue microscope that I use. It serves the purpose.:smile Lou
Lou: What coin is that first picture? And, I also have the Digital Blue. Neat itembut I understand that there are newer models since I got mine, quite a few years ago.
........these have become very popular. http://www.microscope.com/dinolite-microscopes-dinolite-specialty-c-35_102_109.html
Frank, the first picture is from a notgeld coin dated 1918. I can't remember the name of the city at this time. Lou
