I have just again become interested in collecting error coins and I would like somebody's opinion as to what magnification is best to look at coins (since I am now over 50 and cannot see close up) OR what is the best magnifier to purchase for this situation? I thank anybody in advance for thier advice on this.
You'll likely get all kinds of different answers, but most professional graders will tell you that looking at coins with the naked eye is best. And when you need magnification to use a 5x glass. Using a loupe or glass any stronger than that tends to make you focus on the minute details too much and you will undergrade your coins. 5x also allows you to have wider field of view when enjoying your coins. There are times however when a stronger loupe is required, like when trying to detect a counterfeit or to examine some other problem you noticed and need to see closer. For those times 10x is plenty. As for brand names - I prefer the Bosch & Lomb 5x in the snap-lock case. It's quite handy to carry in your pocket and have the lens protected. And the lens is big enough to get a good field of view. Hope that helps
I'm glad this question was asked and answered. I have an 8X mgnifier. The other day I was looking at some coins that, to my naked eye, looked uncirculated but when I put the lupe to the coins I thought I was looking at a battlefield. So I must admit that, in my mind, these coins had gone down in value significantly. Now, I need to re-evaluate.
I find the 10x linentester magnifying glasses very handy,especially when I am looking for mintmarks,& you can leave it on the desk while handling the coin or note in question. Aidan.
I interviewed a professional grader just a couple of months ago and those were his exact words. See the coin with your naked eye. He carries the industry standard Bausch & Lomb 5x self-enclosed case we all have in our pockets, the same as the Anco, really. As far as "the best" goes, nothing beats Zeiss. I recently bought the Radio Shack 100x hand scope for $10. I have five or six and lenses and two pairs of diopters. Sometimes you gotta get up close. I also am old enough to use bifocals. In fact, this laptap requires that I use reading classes, which my tower does not. That might be a factor in looking with the "naked" eye. Hey! All my coins are fuzzy! The bottom line is still as GDJMSP said it: learn to see the coin with your naked eye.
Too true,Mike,but I sometimes use a magnifying glass to look for mintmarks on coins & for printer's names on banknotes.It is these details that a collector or dealer can look for as a valuable coin can slip through,as a friend of mine found to his cost,but my gain. A few years ago,he had a 1950 Monegasque 100 Francs at a coin fair for NZ$8.He let me have it for NZ$5.When I got it,I noticed the letters 'ESSAI' in the area between the knight & the '100'.It turned out to be a trial coin then catalogued at US$55 in Krause.I told the guy a few weeks later & laughed at him,as the guy knew nothing about coins.Did you get the P.M. I sent you yesterday? Aidan.
Hey this is a great thread/question. I had just been wondering the same thing myself. Any chance it can be moved to the main forum so more will read it? Thanks
I think it's been there about - oh forty eleven times Tell ya what though lawdog - I just bumped one of those posts up for ya on the Main Forum
I sure do appreciate all the advice. But, if I was to rely on my naked eye I would never find any error coins. As my eyesight has been going bad for some time now. Especially at close ranges. I might as well not even look at them if I cannot tell the date with the naked eye. I wear the bifocals and I HAVE to, to read ANYTHING. I am going to look into getting an 8X or 10X and that should do me very good. Thanks again for the great advice.
I wear glasses to read myself - so believe me, I know. When I say the naked eye, that includes your glasses if you need them
In some cases a magnifier may not be enough... As a collector of Israeli coins, I very frequently handle Pruta coins (1949-1957). They partly come in two varieties, "without pearl" and "with pearl", a tiny raised dot just below the bottom link on a coin's reverse. The "pearl", especially on the copper coins, is so tiny and so close to the bottom of the link, that determining whether it is a real "pearl" or just a more strongly pronounced unevenness, can be very difficult, even with a 5x magnifier, let alone with the naked eye. In this case I scan the coin at 1200 dpi. Then I either crop (cut out) the entire coin, or the relevant part of it only. Thereafter I scrutinize it on-screen, zooming in as much as I need. That usually does the trick. I would recommend this option when checking out rare and highly valuable varieties. No magnifier can beat that...
I have talked to many graders over the years and anybody who tells you that there is one right answer, doesn't know what they are talking about. Graders at PCGS, NGC, ANACS choose their own loupe, and their own magnification. Of course the naked eye works great. But in order to determine the exact grade of a coin, you are going to need some level of magnification depending on what you are looking for. Could be that 3x is enough. The Edited Rulesis a very popular one because of its large lens. And some need a 7x or yes, even a 10x to be able to see the details of a die strike or whatever. Try them out for yourself at a coin show. We actually put out a number of loupes for everyone to try for themselves. But rest assured, Edited from Germany are far and away the best loupes out there. They are not cheap, but for graders and dealers who are looking through these lenses every day, the need an achromatic, distortion free lens so their eyes don't hurt at the end of the day. Good luck to all who stumble on this post thread. Kurt Kurt, self promotion is not allowed in regular threads, only in the advertising subforums. . Self promoting websites can be in signature areas , but limited as to content. Rules : https://www.cointalk.com/threads/coin-talk-rules.34131/
I have quite a variety of magnifiers including the natural ones that being nearsighted provides. My favorite is a pair of $1 (from Dollar Tree) reading glasses in the strongest power they carry (+3.50). I wear these over my regular trifocals which gives me sharp focus at about 5" and retains stereoscopic vision which most magnifiers do not. I have considered getting a pair of +5.00 glasses but am concerned that that might be too close and push the 3D matter too far. I find that I see things on coins better in 3D. Yes, I also own a stereo-microscope for home use but the reading glasses work well at shows.
I use a big ole Sherlock Holmes lookin' magnifying glass that is 2x. Big field of view (the glass has a diameter of 4.5") and enough magnification that I can clearly see the coin. I have smaller "jewelers" type loupes with 5x, 10x and 20x, but I find that to be too much for regular viewing. Here is mine (quarter for size reference):
