Reply to Thread

Message:: [QUOTE="Kasia, post: 1279710, member: 31533"]I think for "Grading" a coin, you would not want to use a good or high magnification, but for error verification or mintmark authentication (like between the type 1 and type 2 S mintmarks on the 1981 proof coins) you would need anywhere from about a 7 to 20 X or more. Some things cannot be differentiated with the human eye or even a 5X. It also depends on the skill and eyesight of the grader/authenticator. I recently took a class from the ANA in fundamentals of counterfeit detection, and was instructed before going  that "Students should bring:lOx loupe magnifier (lOx Triplet loupe recommended)". At the seminar I was told that basically a 10X was considered a "good" for numismatic purposes. So  good magnification does have it's purposes. Personally, I can not always tell the differences in some coin's characteristics without a loupe. Maybe I will be much better in several years when I have more experience behind me, but for now I don't hesitate to use my loupes.[/QUOTE]