Good Magnifying Glass?...

Hey guys, Im looking for a nice wide field magnifying glass, what strength of magnification would you suggest?

I have a 12x jewelers loupe but man does it hurt my eyes after like 5 coins.

I read through a search that most grading companies use at MOST a 5X mag strength, is that about right?

What are you guys using to examine your coins?

Thanks

Jim

 

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I use a 10X and a 15X and then a 4X when i feel like being a loser...
lol

 

Awesome, where can I get something like a 5x or 10x mag glass with a nice big range of view?

Jim

 

If you want to grade coins, I'd say about a 10x, if you are looking for RPMs and errors I'd say a 15x and up.

Phoenix

 

I use a 5x B&L for grading, and have a B&L 10X and 20X Hastings for inspecting, Jp's or Collectons will have what you need, or Walgreens if your in a real hurry has some but not great quality

 

The largest 5x magnifier I've been able to locate is this:
http://www.opticsplanet.net/bausch-lomb-5-glass-magnifier.html
I have not ordered it as I keep hoping to find a larger one.

 

I looked at the 5" Bausch & Lomb today. My local dealer ordered it along with a couple of pocket magnifiers I wanted. This behemoth is only 2X and is of little use for studying coins but would be great for reading a book - it is wide enough that you can view the entire width of a page at one time.

 

I highly recommend this:

http://www.eschenbach.com/preview.php?pid=6

It's a 4x + 6x == 10x combination
(Actually mine's a 3x + 6x == 9x)

Only problem: They ain't cheap.

 

So a company like PCGS will only use a 5x to determine if a coin is MS-70?

I want to get some of my better finds slabbed eventually, but I've been using a 20x loupe to narrow the down the pile. (needless to say it's a very small pile... lol) Should I be less critical and switch to a 5x?

 

My understanding is that the biggies don't go above 10x for grading (if that high.)
Beyond that they're using the power to document varieties. Stuff like doubled knees on Lincoln on the Memorial cent.

IMO if a variety needs more than 3x to view comfortably it's not worth it.
Beyond that you're into "fly speck" numismatics.

 

Thanks, I find that kind of comforting actually...

I tend to be hyper-critical when self-grading my coins, and I get discouraged when I'm picking up a lot of flaws at 20x that I didn't really see at 10x or lower.

 

Want to make you coins look terrible?
Try imaging them at 600 dpi or higher.
LOTS of ugly stuff shows up.

 

The big companies don't use anything....but the unaided eye.
I'll let the rest of the guys go into that more--I'm short on time right now.....

Speedy

 

http://www.cointalk.org/showthread.php?t=27775

 

Its fun to look though and darn if I could spot a complete ring Mercury without a glass

Ruben

 

Prior to spending money on a glass through the mail, check if there are any flea markets in your area. Many have magnifying glasses of every possible size, shape, price. I' ve got about 10 or more of them all from the flea markets. Some you can wear like glasses, some are on stands with lights. Also, if there is a Walmart, Kmart, Target store in your area, try them also. If you want to just have very, very high quality magnification glasses of all types try checking into scientific supply houses. example is www.sciplus.com If you go to that one request a catalog and check out page 40. On stands, with lights, wear on the head and on and on and on. Then there is Edmund Scientific also. I would first try the flea markets.

 

I'm a fan of the inexpensive, used stereo microscopes on eBay. I have a 10X/20X and it meets my needs and works great. Looks like new...I have about $45 into it. I like the Bausch & Lomb 5X packette as well.

 

Having just dealt with a former professional grader, you're correct.
Most coins were done by eye.
About one out of twenty coins was examined with a 10x(?) loupe.
So the practiced eye is good enough.
Mine isn't practiced; give me a 5x.