I'm not familiar with the one you show. I use this one and have had no issues. https://www.wizardcoinsupply.com/precision-pocket-scale-100-x-.01-g.html
I own one on par with the one wizard sells on the above link. I like it very much its spot on a good pick for price and quality. The image you posted I am not fimuilar with...but some how I see you more the traditional scale. A triple beam balance scale is what you want with a tolerance of 1000 th . You as a gold collector I would think you want it to split hairs. In my former occupation I used a scale every day. A small triple beam balance spot on 100% of the time.
Thanks Paddy54/ Chris for your help. Its just that some auction houses do not list coin size/ weight. Numista does not help since weight with a AV Dukat can vary from 3.45-3.53 g.
I deal exclusively with Wizard coin ...unless they do not have a particular item. I know the owners whom are in Va. And have met them and had dealings at the Annandale show. As far as inventory, selection,price,customer service....etc...Wizard coin supplies is #1 . They are a pleasure doing business with and I get my orders most of the time in 48 hours. Two thumbs up!
The wizard site has them at pretty expensive prices, honestly. I say you visit a local jewlery or pawn shop. They are both likely to have some for sale, at a better price. Mine is very similar to the one on wizardcoinsupply, but 30+ is insane to me.
A good scale is expensive, and yes you can find good stuff at after markets..... places. But some need or want it now and moeny isnt an issue....and shopping one may take time. I still use a set of standards I purchased years ago to check my scale when using it.
If you really want milligram (0.001g) resolution, you'll probably want a cover like that one has, but I don't think I'd like the hinged-door arrangement -- I'd rather have a cover I can put on and take off. It seems like 10mg (0.01g) resolution is the standard now, with lots of choices and capacities available. I have a 0.001g scale and a 0.01g scale. They're probably of comparable quality, but I almost never use the finer-resolution one. For one thing, it has a maximum capacity of 30g, which means you can't use it with one-troy-ounce coins. I'm not sure I'd recommend either of mine, as they were pretty cheap generic Chinese products from Amazon.
I would say it depends on your needs. If you weighing gold dust, you would want the most accurate scale you could find, but for everyday use, to see if a coin is within the norm, most of the less expensive scales should meet the need. JMHO
I use a Gemini-20 portable scale - 20 g x 0.001 like this one: https://www.amazon.com/AWS-Portable-Precision-Digital-Milligram/dp/B0012TDNAM
I bought one of those $10 digital scales off ebay years ago. Never had a problem with it. I have calibration weights that I put on it occasionally but it has never been over a couple grams off before calibration.
That looks very much like the one I bought. Not sure if it's identical -- I don't remember the little indent for the calibration weight -- but the controls, display and cover look the same.
I think it is important to have enough sensitivity to measure .001g at the least. A .0001g is better if you are working with tiny amounts of valuable substance ( such as gemstones or gold dust). I do not know the price of the one shown, but it has a "wind" shield as even a wisp of air we would not detect such as breathing could cause a misreading. The weight standard is there also to re-calibrate it after you drop it or drop a kilo of something on it. Tongs also are provided. The device is battery charged , so if the weight standard reads wrong after a time , change the battery before re-calibrating it, but if it doesn't read the standard correctly, change the batteries and re-calibrate ( the directions should be with the device. Use the weight standard before weighing any important object. Jim
I have a small one much like the ones from wizard... maybe a 1/2 step above as it does Carat weight as well as grams. I've had it about 15yrs old now with no issues
It seems like anything finer than milligram sensitivity still kicks you into the $$$$ realm. I looked into getting a microgram balance, but those things are furniture, and really should have a more stable base than I could provide in this house. (And I couldn't come up with a decent reason to have one -- "maybe someday I'll measure tiny changes in coin weight as toning progresses" isn't good enough.)
Go to any of those recent smoke shops that are opening up everywhere. They sell gram scales for under $20.00, well at least here in NYC. They are perfect to weigh all coins.
