Just starting out in the coin collection hobby and have seen discussions of having a good coin testing kit. First off, is this necessary? Second, what equipment is best to have in a kit that is not extremely expensive? Lastly, any recommendations on specific kits and places to acquire on the internet? In advance, thank you.
books are your best tools. learn all you can about them first. then learn to grade. shop for best price when you can.
I have no idea why a collector would need a coin collecting kit. I agree with Spirityoda, education is what a collector needs. Education about coins, about the market, about how to grade, etc. Do you like US coins? Buying a Redbook and reading it cover to cover is a great start.
I think he wants to some kind of kit that includes everything someone would need in order to test the metal of the coin to see if it's genuine silver or gold. Now a coin collecting kit though...Red Book, non PVC 2x2 flips, desiccant package, new Tupperware storage container, notebook/excel, digital scale...
To all, Thank you for the info. From the above, I am definitely reading everything I can to get an education. I think from the above, the one thing I am missing is a digital scale for measuring weight. Any specific one that you guys have used that was ideal? I figure you have way cheap to overpriced with bells and whistles you never end up using.......
A good quality loupe, digital scales (in grams) and a Rare Earth magnet, are essential equipment. Books and more books are essential tools. The rest you will obtain over time.
You want one that can read in tenths of grams, but it doesn't need to read over 50 grams really unless you want to collect really large coins, (no US coins fall into this category except oddballs like 5 ounce ATB coins). I found mine online for about $15.
I think it's a fair, and good, question. jwt708 has listed important items. I might add that the digital scale should be accurate to .01 grams and be easily calibrated. You can get them on eBay very cheaply. I can't count the number of questions that could have been easily answered by this simple and inexpensive tool. (Normal weights are listed in the Red Book and on the web) Digital calipers - Not an every day tool, but comes in handy at times. Harbor Freight carries very adequate models for a few bucks. A decent triplet magnifier. Personally, I think anything more powerful than 10x is overkill. I like ones with a built in light. Amazon is a good place to start. A really good light. Not a place to scrimp. I've been pleased with this one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EVKU45Q/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 but there are many available. If you plan to take advantage of online forums, the ability to make a good image is mandatory. A decent scanner is a decent starting point. There are a lot of threads you can check out and people on this forum with a lot of experience and good advice. Good luck.
Very much appreciate the above information and this has gotten me on the right path moving forward. Thanks!
As mentioned, a digital scale is probably the best tool a collector could own. The other tool that is needed cannot be purchased but must be acquired over time. It is not really that difficult to obtain, it just takes time and if you don't have the time then you're just wasting your time.
