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<p>[QUOTE="littlehugger, post: 2105641, member: 58633"]I have been looking, and there are various magnifiers that can be very useful.</p><p>For on the road, you can get a small set of lenses that attach to your glasses and flip down to magnify. My dad used these when working on watches. They are not expensive, small, light, useful and unobtrusive. Mostly, they are hands free.</p><p> At home, there are magnifying lamps. Its a regular extension arm lamp, with a circular bulb and a magnifying lens. They come in anywhere from 1.5X to 8X.</p><p> Another magnifier is an electronic microscope/endoscope. Yeah, sounds expensive, but they sell for $50 on Ebay. Come with a little stand and work with your computer. You can use it as a microscope to see the whole coin, or as an endoscope to make very high magnification images of small areas of a coin.</p><p> As for collecting, I advise starting small, with Lincoln cents, Jefferson nickels and Roosevelt dimes. These are still commonly available in rolls, at your bank, at face value, and you can fill a lot of holes in your albums at very low cost, while you learn. This will occupy you, educate you, and give you a sense of progress, and help avoid expensive beginner mistakes. The Jefferson and Roosevelt are very achievable.</p><p> I suggest you use Dansco albums, or the equivalent. Even with coins from circulation, they display well, and are adequate for all but the highest grade and rarity coins, so you need not spend to upgrade your albums as you upgrade your collection.</p><p> Get some basic supplies. Besides magnifier, get some white cotton gloves, coin tubes, flips, etc.</p><p> Eventually you will decide on a favorite area, and develop that. Find and read collectors literature. Attend shows, ask questions! Learn.</p><p> Whatever you decide to specialize in, Type coins, big silver, old copper, learn it well. Knowledge is your best friend, and protector against fraud.</p><p> Be balanced. Coin collecting is a long term investment. If you overdo it, you may end up selling quickly, at a loss, because you spent too much and could not wait for the investment to mature.</p><p> Make friends and enjoy![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="littlehugger, post: 2105641, member: 58633"]I have been looking, and there are various magnifiers that can be very useful. For on the road, you can get a small set of lenses that attach to your glasses and flip down to magnify. My dad used these when working on watches. They are not expensive, small, light, useful and unobtrusive. Mostly, they are hands free. At home, there are magnifying lamps. Its a regular extension arm lamp, with a circular bulb and a magnifying lens. They come in anywhere from 1.5X to 8X. Another magnifier is an electronic microscope/endoscope. Yeah, sounds expensive, but they sell for $50 on Ebay. Come with a little stand and work with your computer. You can use it as a microscope to see the whole coin, or as an endoscope to make very high magnification images of small areas of a coin. As for collecting, I advise starting small, with Lincoln cents, Jefferson nickels and Roosevelt dimes. These are still commonly available in rolls, at your bank, at face value, and you can fill a lot of holes in your albums at very low cost, while you learn. This will occupy you, educate you, and give you a sense of progress, and help avoid expensive beginner mistakes. The Jefferson and Roosevelt are very achievable. I suggest you use Dansco albums, or the equivalent. Even with coins from circulation, they display well, and are adequate for all but the highest grade and rarity coins, so you need not spend to upgrade your albums as you upgrade your collection. Get some basic supplies. Besides magnifier, get some white cotton gloves, coin tubes, flips, etc. Eventually you will decide on a favorite area, and develop that. Find and read collectors literature. Attend shows, ask questions! Learn. Whatever you decide to specialize in, Type coins, big silver, old copper, learn it well. Knowledge is your best friend, and protector against fraud. Be balanced. Coin collecting is a long term investment. If you overdo it, you may end up selling quickly, at a loss, because you spent too much and could not wait for the investment to mature. Make friends and enjoy![/QUOTE]
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