I just want to thank everybody for commenting on the microscope I still didn't get an answer though no one recommended a brand or anything but it's okay I'll figure it out thank you guys for all the heads up and the reason why I'm getting one is because I'm burning out my retinas
I have a Dino-lite Scope. They have several. Buy a stand for it too. Good Luck!! Dino-Lite Digital Microscope | Americas (dinolite.us)
Is a microscope really a necessity? Anything larger than 7x and you start to see things that aren't really there......
I use mine at the lowest setting for coins. Best for viewing not taking Pics. of coins. Seeing things that aren't there isn't such a bad thing.
Really, though.. I use one very similar to this and it works very well for me: https://www.amazon.com/VIVOSUN-Illuminated-Jewelers-Foldable-Magnifier/dp/B07VK1LVKX/
This is one of the most uninformed (I'm being nice ) comments I have ever read on a coin form. Actually, it is probably number one! Here is an example I use in grading class to make it simple: You go to a jeweler to buy a diamond. He takes out his 10 best stones. They are all GIA Certified flawless white and identical in size and price. He uses a microscope to check his stones, so he lets you use it and sets it at 10X - the standard power used to determine a diamond is flawless. Well, you are ignorant about diamonds, but you are not STUPID! You crank the power up. Thats when you start to see tiny black inclusions. At 20X, only a few are left w/o black specks. At 40X, only one "flawless" diamond (at 10X) still has them. Which diamond are you going to buy? I guess things you don't see may be there if you look for them. After using a microscope for a while, you'll be able to see things on coins at 5X that others without your experience cannot. I've been examining coins since 1972 using an optical microscope. Proper use of a stereo microscope (NOT DIGITAL) with fluorescent light lets you see the surface of your coins. It speeds up the learning process. 7X is my usual setting but I am using both of my eyes. Call me in the evening after 6PM EST and I'll give you some choices that depend on your finances, how much you will use it, and what you are looking at. Phone # redacted by moderator from the public forum. Please contact each other via private message (you may share phone numbers and/or email that way). ~Mod
I have a degree in Geology, so I do. This is image of emerald crystals in matrix thrills me as much as a BU Morgan dollar. Actually, much more.
Image won't display. I don't think you are supposed to post the emerald crystals while she is wearing them in the nude.
My friend, while I understand the need for extreme magnification in gemology and (at times) in professional coin grading I (as a humble collector) refrain from such. If I can't see what I'm looking for with the naked eye or a 7x loupe it's probably my imagination.
If the OP is simply looking for a recommendation as to which of the dozens of Chinese-made CCD USB microscopes to buy, I would suggest that they are all more-or-less the same. They are so inexpensive that you can simply buy one and try it out and if it doesn't work for you, then buy a different one. But if the issue is more complex, then what will work for you depends upon what you will use it for. Now, I collect capped bust half dimes by die marriage. Some of those diagnostics are extremely difficult to detect, especially on worn and/or toned coins. Also important is the absence of certain artifacts. I take decent macro photos using a copy stand and a Nikon 610 DSLR with Sigma 105mm lens. My typical file size is 8 mb. Due to lighting and other issues, blowing these photos up to show extremely small and/or faint die cracks does not always work. Neither does my good quality CCD USB microscope reveal some of these artifacts. The only thing that always works is my 10X/30X stereo microscope ($50 used at my local coin club auction) and that is because of the lighting, the stereo optics, the magnification, and the ability to tilt the coin to any angle to get the correct lighting contrast. This is particularly important when an artifact is hiding below the prongs of a slab. I offer the above not as a guide for the OP but simply as an example of how the needs drive the equipment. I suggest the OP analyze his current and possibly future needs and then purchase equipment that satisfies those needs.
To each his own. I grade coins professionally. In order to protect our customers I need to see EVERYTHING THERE IS TO SEE on it. Then our other graders and finalizer can make AN INFORMED DECISION regarding what I see. Is it important or not? I guarantee that I see things using a scope at 7X that most others don't see AT ANY POWER they use because they never learned how to examine a coin properly. NO BRAG, just fact! For educational purposes and to make a point for fun, I'm going to post a quiz for practice tomorrow: Find the defect on this coin.
I started to write why Insider is correct about digital imaging being rather low in accuracy when over 10X or so, but it got complicated. Sorry.
