One more thing and i'll quit bothering: i see in the Blackbook the mention of 4X magnifier, in the grading section. i also see the professional grading service promotional photos they show microscopes. Actually seeing an MS70 (not a proof)with the naked eye really helped me to see a coin can only be so perfect. Are they using microscopy to identify the foreign matter in the sharp corners or what? Should i pack around anything more powerful than a 4X magnifier? Oh and does everybody have a scale to authenticate by weight as well?
I bring a 10x and 16x loupe, but I'm usually looking for varieties. I have a stereo microscope that provides 20x power and allows me to take some close-up photos. Don't have a scale, but it's second on my list of next purchases (1st being another book).
5X seems to be the minimum usually carried at coin shows. IMHO a coin should always be examined first by naked eye, and a magnifier used only to pinpoint something you've seen, or to verify a variety or marking. I wouldn't consider going to a coin shop or show without mine, but if you are concentrating exclusively on US coinage, and are not dealing with subjects of major counterfeiting, it isn't really necessary. I think their use is much more common among world coin collectors than among those who stick to US stuff.
I do have a scale but don't carry it around. I carry two glasses to check coins with. I use a 7x to grade a coin and a 20x to check the possibility of small imperfections. I don't need a glass more powerful because if I think a coin may have been tampered with I won't buy it. The second reason is that I don't collect errors. catman
It all depends on the focus of your collection. If you collect varieties and errors, then I would suggest at least a 10x or higher. If you are collecting non-varieties by grade, then I would think that a 5x would suffice. Keep in mind that under high magnification, a coin can lose its charm as you get so caught up in the individual flaws that you can start to lose sight of the overall beauty.
Well right now I use a 10X but would like to try a lower power like a 5 or 7X...when I grade a coin I do it without a loupe and try to learn that way. My brother-in-law says he can see things I don't, but since he has the bad eyes and glasses I don't know! Speedy
He may be able to see things you don't. I wore glasses too. When I took them off to look at things close it was discovered my eyes had a natural 2x mag. effect. Always be careful at looking at a coin too close. Your gonna miss something. catman
It depends on what your looking at and what your looking for. A contrasting answer to what's been said already is that I usually don't use anything because I'm looking at military tokens which are usually simple, bland and circulated. But even with coins, IMO, you should start by looking with the naked eye. And at shows you might want to rock it a bit and see if it's flashing hair-lines. For just over-all grading a 4-x7 glass might work out pretty well especially for larger coins. A 7x loupe might be good for smaller coins. But if your paying some big bucks for say "fully-split bands" on a Merc a glass might not cut it. And you really do want to be sure the bands are fully split if your paying out the ying-yang for them. So you might need a loupe 7X, 10X or even 15X. It just depends on what works for you. There's really is no one size fits all answer for this; it's whatever works best for you. I use the pocket Acculab scale to weight tokens. But I only do that because it annoys me that references don't publish the weights. If a coin you weigh, *and measure* falls within tolerances, it does not necessarily mean it's authentic. Weighing and measuring is just a typical trouble shooting procedure--you begin with the simplest and work towards the hardest. A good struck counterfeit most likely will come up to tolerances. The slabbers, however, authenticate coins before they grade them. And it would seem that their authentication is actually something useful.
I use a B & L 7x loupe, although the cheaper anco 10x loupes are the best sellers in the shop. My fave scale is a new one I've just gotten. It weighs in grams, avdp oz, troy oz, dwt, carats and even GRAINS lol. Maximum capacity is 500 grams, which is about 16 troy ounces. It has a backlight so is very easy to see, comes with a cover that fits onto the top sideways so you can use it as a tray when weighing multiple coins, jewelry, etc. It fits into a shirt pocket and costs a whopping $29.99. Gotta love technology Nick
Thanks for the great info. i inherited a Donagan wearable aparatus with 7X lenses. i'll coast with that for awhile. i could get out the old school microscope if i wanted to get CSI on something. Now about scales; if u had a small hanging beem with soft plastic jawed aligator clips hanging on either side. And a known genuine specimen to test with, this could be all one needs? (read thrifty) Honestly, i might spend a dime to see a mouse eat a bail of hay, but it had better be a full size bail.
To sleep, perchance to dream, aye there's the rub! How much would you save after hiring that armed guard to carry around your selection of comparison coins?
Stereo Microscope Hi nesvt, do you take pictures through the microscope eyepiece or a trinocular port? Do you have any recommendations for microscope features to look for? I'm thinking about buying one and there's quite a large price/feature range. Does anyone else have any recommendations regarding microscopes? Thanks, Jeff
