Can someone recommend a good coin scale and calipher?

I need something that has enough accuracy to identify and catalog a hoard of coins, but I don't want to pay for an arm or a leg for it...

Thanks,

QG

 

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Try JP's Corner.
Just under 30 bucks for both.

http://www.jpscorner.com/coin-collecting-accessories.html

http://www.jpscorner.com/shipping-policy.html

 

Digital calipers are better, and you really want a scale that will measure to 2 or 3 decimal places.

Chris

 

You have me curious what type of hoard you ate working with...

 

Sacagawea dollars.

 

For Ancients, I find scales to one decimal place adequate. My scale goes to 2 decimal places, but I only attribute to one. Ancients were never accurate to 2 places, and were generally weighed against quantity to batch. We ain't worried about mass-produced machine-manufactured tokens called coins of today.

Ancients are hand made.

I use Plastic (Fiber-glass) or brass callipers, non-digital, and they work well. Generally, Ancients are not perfectly round. If they are oblong, I measure two axis. If major thick, I will caliper the thickness too (just for fun). All my career I used digital calipers, but that was in Manufacturing. For my Ancients Hobby, naw, don't need them.

 

I have several of these and they are great. especially if you have a coupon. 4 or 6 inches/mm. I put a thin layer of electrical tape on the jaw edges to prevent any accidental contact with the metal.
https://www.harborfreight.com/4-inch-digital-caliper-47256.html

Jim

 

@FitzNigel: Latin Rulers of Constantinople and Thessalonica. About 300 coins and there are several rare varieties. The problem is size and weight matters to correctly identify these coins. Its not just the flan size, but the die size that really matters! These coins went through a lot of clippings which throws the results off. Furthermore, some of these trachae are tiny in comparison to the normal ones that are often seen. Here is one coin that I was able to identify using a good old tape measure at about 10-15mm. In comparison is a trachy that was issued a few years later...


left coin:

Kingdom of Thessalonica: John Comnenus-Ducas (1237-1242) BI Trachy, Thessalonica (CLBC 14.1.4; Jordanov pl. XXXVI, 4-6)

Obv: Brockage
Rev: Full-length figure of emperor on left, and of Virgin nimbate, holding between them cross within circle, surmounting triangular decoration on long shaft. Emperor wears stemma, divitision, collar-piece and paneled loros of simplified type; holds anexikakia in right hand. Virgin wears tunic and maphorion.

right coin:

Empire of Nicaea: John III Ducas-Vatazes (1222-1254) BI Trachy, Magnesia (Sear-2099; DOC IV, Type K 45; Lianta 241-42)

Obv: Ο AΓΙΟC ΔHMHTPIOC in two columnar groups. Full-length figure of St. Demetrius, beardless and nimbate, wearing short military tunic, breastplate and sagion; right hand holds spear; left hand holds shield
Rev: IШ ΔЄCΠ-OΔϪKAC; Emperor seated upon throne with back, wearing stemma, divitision, collar-piece and paneled loros of simplified type; right hand holds labarum-headed scepter; left hand holds globus cruciger

 

Thanks for all the recommendations! Looks like I will be shopping for some supplies tomorrow (should really finish my taxes )...

 

Oh crap! Thanks for the reminder!

 

You might go to Amazon and search for Triton digital scale. The T2 measures to the nearest 1/10 gram, and the T3 to the nearest 1/100. Either can be had for less than $20

 

If you want to buy a scale at fair (but not absolutely lowest) prices, visit Old Will Knott Scales: https://www.oldwillknottscales.com/ and be sure to buy the correct calibration weight. And don't miss the scale finder, where you enter your requirements, e.g. 0-500g by 0.01 (https://www.oldwillknottscales.com/weight-scale-finder.html?Attribs=70+67) and see all the options.

I've bought a couple of direct-from-china digital calipers off eBay and found them perfectly fine - you can get a carbon fiber model so you don't worry about scratching (it's more repeatable measurements than the electrical tape trick). I've found that all of the digital models get turned on in the mug of pens I leave them in, so make sure to have a couple extra batteries on hand.

 

Here's a long thread on calipers. https://www.cointalk.com/threads/cheap-vs-fancy-caliper-shoot-out.294757/#post-2712511

 

And here's what I posted last year re: a scale. Price has gone up but I am still happy with it. The readings I get on my coins are very close or exact to the readings on dealer tags that come with my purchased coins.

I bought this ridiculously cheap digital scale not knowing what kind of quality it would be. I've had it for a few months and am quite pleased with it for my light hobbyist use. Its readings are consistent with those provided by the pros for coins I own. I did buy a 200 g. weight for calibration, but that was only about $5 more. I think this same scale is manufactured overseas and various distributors slap their own name on it. But it's been a good budget purchase for me.
Ascher Elite Digital Pocket Scale 200 x 0.01g
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01IXHSPDK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

American Weigh Scales 200WGT Carbon Steel 200gm Calibration Weight Scale with Chrome Finish

 

If there is enough of the border of the coin present (which even the coin with ragged flan has plenty) you can use a protractor/ compass and accurately get the measurement, which will tell you the size of the die; versus the size of the flan, which the calipers will be used for.

 

Just thinking out loud, if some of these are Trachies, it must be difficult to get an actual measurement of the size of the die if they’re curved significantly. Might a string and ruler be more accurate? I’ll profess an ignorance to the exact way they were made

 

Thanks for all the comments! These little hoard of coins has produced several interesting coins. I decided to just use my trusty tape measure for measurements, but placed an order for a scale. Sorry for the late reply. Spent some quality time doing my taxes and photographing several of the coins. Too many to do and hence this is going to be a while. Here is one that got identified tonight. It turns out to be the third one known!

Coinage of Uncertain Rulers (1204-1261) BI Trachy, Thessalonica? (CLBC 16.3)

Obv: Full-length figure of Virgin nimbate, orans, wearing tunic and maphorion; holds beardless, nimbate head of Christ on breast
Rev: Full-length figure of senior ruler on left, with short rounded beard, and of junior ruler on right, beardless, holding between them patriarchal cross on long shaft. Both rulers wear stemma, divitision, collar-piece, and jeweled loros of simplified type, and hold scepters

 

Do you have any SB 2036? And what is the reverse of your coin on the right of the photo above?

 

I have had good luck picking one that looks ok and has good reviews on Amazon. Make sure to get one with a calibration weight (or buy one separately). Also look at the max weight. I had to buy one with a higher range for some of the items I have, see second pic below.
You could go for old school:

Double pan scale (probably from 1950's) with Roman weights weighing bronze coins (3/4ths of a Roman pound or 9 VNCIA).


French reproduction of Roman steelyard scale with 2.5 kg. bar that fit inside the weight range of my high range scale.

 

The lot produced tons of SB 2036s in various conditions, from clipped to a tiny coin to some that are in really good state of preservation. None of them beats the few I already had in my collection though as far as I can see. The coins are currently scattered on top of my desk and there are bags of coins on the side from other lots. I am literally surrounded by coins this time and its a great feeling :

Latin Rulers of Constantinople: Anonymous (1204-1261) BI Trachy (Sear-2036)

Obv: IC XC barred in field, Bust of Christ, beardless and nimbate, wearing tunic and colobion, hold gospel in left hand.
Rev: Full length figure of Archangel Michael nimbate, wearing short military tunic, breastplate, and sagion, holds in right hand jeweled scepter and in left, globus cruciger



The image of the other coin is below (I am assuming it is this coin), should probably take a decent picture of this one. Its the dealer's picture:

Empire of Nicaea: John III Ducas-Vatazes (1222-1254) BI Trachy, Magnesia (Sear-2099; DOC IV, Type K 45; Lianta 241-42)

Obv: Ο AΓΙΟC ΔHMHTPIOC in two columnar groups. Full-length figure of St. Demetrius, beardless and nimbate, wearing short military tunic, breastplate and sagion; right hand holds spear; left hand holds shield
Rev: IШ ΔЄCΠ-OΔϪKAC; Emperor seated upon throne with back, wearing stemma, divitision, collar-piece and paneled loros of simplified type; right hand holds labarum-headed scepter; left hand holds globus cruciger



The below coins came in today from a multiple lot purchase of about 100 Byzantine coins. Managed to take a few pictures today. This one is the scarcer variety of the already scarce Leo III follis that has been overstruck on a previous follis...

Byzantine Empire: Leo III the Isaurian (717-741) Æ Follis, Constantinople (Sear 1516; DOC 39)

Obv: LЄON S CON; Two busts facing, Leo on left, bearded, and Constantine, usually slightly smaller, on right. Each wears chlamys with conspicuous tablion and crown with cross, and holds akaka in right
Rev: Large M; X/X/X - N/N/N across field, cross above, A below



Haven't attributed this coin yet, but its Sear 1721...