emotions (errors)

Yes those are the drive behind the hobby. But that "gotta have it" emotion often means overpaying, or pulling the trigger without doing due diligence to analyze for potential problems or authenticity issues. This is why I think emotions need to take the backseat when it comes to our understanding of coins

 

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but, but, but, I gotta' have it, I gotta' have it, I gotta' have it, I gotta' have it, I gotta' have it, I gotta' have it, I gotta' have it, I gotta' have it, I gotta' have it, I gotta' have it, I gotta' have it, I gotta' have it, I gotta' have it, I gotta' have it, I gotta' have it, I gotta' have it, ah...that feels better.

 

Lincolns are an affordable hobby for me. It does get boring looking at the same mix of loser coins in every box. I am getting much better, and quicker though. It used to be I could look at one coin for an hour trying to "read something into it". Now that I know what I'm looking for, a few seconds is all I need. I can do a box in 5 or 6 hours. I don't stop unless I find something really good. I just keep putting the questionable ones aside. At the end I'll go back and look through the ones I set aside. Then take them to Coinstar. I lose a couple of bucks on a box but hey that's cheap entertainment.

 

What a shame! If you had just one more "I gotta' have it" you would have earned 1,000 E-bucks.

Chris

 

Wait until you're older and your eyes start to fail. You'll probably get frequent headaches. A $50 bag of Lincolns might take years to finish.

Chris

 

Do your eyes a favor and use a USB microscope. Blow them up on your computer screen so you don't have to squint.

 

I was using a stereomicroscope before you started collecting.

 

Th

Then what's with the eye strain?

 

Have you ever heard the saying "You can't see the forest for the trees."? Not every coin needs to be inspected with a microscope. A 10x loupe is all that is really necessary for most varieties and errors of any value. If you're using a microscope for every coin, I can only surmise that you are trying to find a hidden map for the Lost Dutchman mine.

Do you really think that your eyes will be as good 35 years from now as they are today? I didn't need reading glasses until I was 55.

Chris

 

I'm sure they won't. But I won't be straining through a 10x loupe once that becomes bothersome. You can blow it up on the screen to the equivalent of 10x. Don't always need to go nuclear with the magnification. Those cheap usb microscopes out of China do just that.

 

If you can't see something with a 10x loupe, then it isn't worth keeping. I could care less about a USB microscope.

Chris

 

Then why do you own a microscope of any kind? lol

 

I wonder just how long it would take to look at a $50 bag of cents under a microscope? It would not be fun. Microscopes are great for the few coins that you need to take a bit more time with.

 

I use it not to find errors and varieties, but to post photos for others to see.

Chris

 

Agreed! It's a lot faster using a loupe.

Chris