I used to be nearsighted, but had cataract surgery in both eyes and I am now farsighted. Its great for driving, however, it has unintended consequences. Before, I could bring things close up and squint to read small print. Now, if I hold it far enough away to focus, its too small to see. I cannot read the dates on coins, hallmarks on jewelry, fine print on prescription bottles, etc. I would like to purchase a magnifying device for my coins. Something useful. I would hope it would be adaptable, as things such as a standard magnifying glass works primarily on flat surfaces, and does not have the depth of focus for jewelry and such. Given that this is a coin collectors site, and everyone is always looking for double dies, overstrikes and varieties, there must be good info out there. Any suggestions my friends?
I use two loupes. The better quality is a Zeiss 10x taken from a microscope and it is not meant to be used hand-held. However, I know what I am doing with it so I can get enough light on a coin to make it quite useful. This loupe stays at home or packed away at shows and only comes out if needed. The other is a Bausch and Lomb (B&L) 5x lens that pops out of the holder. I call these "disposable loupes" because so many folks lose them. They work great, cost little (perhaps $15) and are found everywhere.
I have several. My favorite is the eyepiece off of a pair of Nikon binoculars that fell off the bed of the truck and busted. The rubber "blinder" on it knocks out the bright lights that reflect off the lens. The other fave is a 16x B&L that I carry in my pocket.
I have a 10X/30X lighted slide magnifier that works for me because of my cataract surgery. Only thing is, looking at BU coins when the batteries are fresh can cause temporary darkness in my "seeing" eye which goes away after awhile. It affects the lens replacements in my eyes temporarily but the doctor says no foul and it's okay. Mine was $5.00 shipped on ebay.
Built like a tank. Company used to supply Russian military optics. Read the reviews, magnifications can be bought up to 30X, but We use the 10X only. http://www.amazon.com/BelOMO-Triple...TF8&qid=1425687625&sr=1-1&keywords=belomo+10x
