Hi all, I have just gotten back into the roll searching after a couple of years off.....problem for me is that my eyesight is a lot worse and I am having to use a small hand held magnifying glass to see dates. I am looking for information as to where I can find something better and what advice you might have to help me out. such as hand held or one I would wear? what size and magnification? thanks all and be well JD
I just use a 10x loupe. I don't think you want one with more than 10x magnification. Get one with as wide a field as possible. You may want to consider the larger ones mounted on the head, but good ones are pretty expensive compared to the loupe. Lighting is just as important as magnification. Make sure you have good lighting.
What are you searching rolls for jd ? I ask because if you are searching for varieties or errors you may need 2 magnifiers. Go to the grocery or drug store and get yourself a 4x glass. You can get them about 3 inches across. These are great for a quick look. But if you see something you want to look at closer, you may need a 10x loupe for some varieites. But the majority of the time you will not.
My eyesight is also nowhere near what it once was. When searching coins you pretty much need both hands free so you either need a magnifier on a fixed stand or one you wear on your head. Like these... They're not a powerful as a loupe but their advantage is that you use both eyes. That greatly reduces eyestrain. If you see something with these you can set it aside for a closer look with a loupe.
ANd if you really want to save your eyes get a microscope. Some of those varieties of nickels and pennies are hard to spot. Enjoy....
Really depends Like others have said it really depends - for die varieties I use Hasting Triplet 10x, 14x, and 20 - the best money can buy. There may be one brand better made in Germany (can't remember the name) I think they make cameras. Now I search often between 2500 and 7000 Lincoln's each week so I pretty much live through my loupe sometimes searching 4 to 5 hours a day. The 20x can be mastered if one works at it but it is very very small. What ever you really get hooked on is probably what you will end up using. For coin grading a good 5x or 8x would be the best choice if that is what one ends up doing most of time - but I am searching most of the time so the 10x and 20x is what I feel most comfortable using. Good lighting is a must I use 3 - 60 watt incandescent bulbs one 8 to 10 inches from work, (the closest) another mid-range and one above all of the desk. I can see mostly all the inside of any mint-mark with this method on a coin grading VG and above. But yes our eyes are failing once I hit early 50's I seem to need a new RX for my eyes each year( not that I get them that often) . I don't know if it's because of age or searching I do but it's probably both. To rest your eyes while working raise your head up and if near a window or door look at trees, (esp, when green) and seating your eyes on something a hundred or so yards away after a few minutes seems to really help. Hope this helps, Ben Peters
When you guys suggest a microscope are you talking just like a science class one? Or something a little more elaborate?
