Over the years I have recommended the use of a stereo microscope on several occasions. There are many variations and I am not at all in a position to tell you which to buy. The one I have was cheap and has not been sold for years. eBay is full of options. All seem to have one characteristic that seems obvious. The platform where you place the subject coin is flat and parallel to the lenses. I have discovered that I see more interesting things in better light using a small wedge of wood covered with a scrap of craft foam that changes the light angle just a bit. Turning the device on edge make examining the edges of the coin easier. I first designed this as an .stl file for a 3D printer but then decided this was easier and quicker done in wood with a saw and glue. If by the wildest chance anyone reading this finds this at all interesting, I would be happy to discuss it with them.
I like your new tilt ramp, but thought it may be easier to get an unobstructed edge view if you cut a groove into the top of the square block. You could make it pretty wide and then line it with the foam - on the ticker coins only one layer of foam might be needed, whereas thinner coins might require two. Just a thought. -d
@dougsmit is not recommending a set up. Which I understand and respect..but I may be interested in a lower end microscope at some point. If anyone has any suggestions? I would love to hear them..
The groove is a great idea. I used a piece of black paper with a small cut in it to hold the coin here. I will try to take a photo using it but it is fine for looking through the scope.
Try this site here: https://www.amscope.com Poke around for stereo microscopes. Look for one that can switch from 10x to 30x or so. Here's an example: https://www.amscope.com/stereo-microscopes/sharp-forward-stereo-microscope-10x-30x.html You probably don't need to spend more than $100-$150 dollars for home use, unless you decide you want a zoom scope. From my experience, you'll never miss the zoom feature if you buy a fixed scope, but if you do buy one, you won't imagine being able to do without it. Some of the scopes have elaborate booms bases which are very helpful if you plan to use the scope to look at rocks, fossils, or other larger objects. If you are buying this mainly for coins and perhaps a few plants or bugs, you don't need a boom scope.
If I correctly recall, the Athens drachm shown on that page is Doug's coin and photo, used without permission!
No, that is not mine. A couple years ago there was a scope seller using one of my photos which happened to be a coin I had owned for years so it could not have been their photo. I do not remember the name of that seller. HOWEVER: I seriously doubt that owl tetradrachm was photographed with that scope or any scope they make. When I have talked about scopes before, I ALWAYS mention that you don't need high power for coins but really should get one with 10x or lower so you can see enough of the coin to get oriented. Mine is 10-30x and much preferable to the 20-40 scopes IMO. I see zoom as a waste. I rarely use the 30x I have. Mine is dim at 30x unless you use extra light beyond the tiny one built in. My scope fills the field at 10x with a coin much smaller than that owl. I have never seen the one below but it has appeal and is illustrated with an obol or hemiobol which would be possible to see in entirety with the scope given the lower power. That is not my photo either but I have to wonder where they got it. The background would be hard to make that black on that scope. I would like one with photo capability but prefer one with cooler (not halogen) lights and fixed power.
This thread started to show an accessory for viewing rather than photography but I tried a couple photos using the slot as suggested by dadams. The thickness of the slot allowed some adjustment of angle for the photos. Not every coin has any detail to be shown by this type examination and the ones I tried were just coins I happened to have at home today. I need to give more thought to what is to be done with this toy. This Syracuse bronze shows some edge detail but is mostly noteworthy as the first one I tried. Later Alexandrian tets like this Carinus at least has more to see. I need to work on the lighting more to show what need to be shown. I like this coin partly as the cheapest coin I have purchased this year. The seller thought it was trash. I liked it and would have paid over $10 if he had asked. It is fun to photograph.
Fantastic photo of the Alexandrian Tet - especially the marbled landscape revealed in the edge photo.
Great photos @dougsmit ! I should consider getting a similar set-up. Right now I just use a magnifying glass to study my coins...
You've forgotten one of your children . It is (or was) yours but I was wrong about the denomination. It's a hemiobol: https://www.amscope.com/stereo-microscopes/sharp-forward-stereo-microscope-10x-30x.html It's the same image as this one of yours, albeit processed and somewhat degraded like a third generation Xerox copy. From your website:
Now this is embarrassing. Not only are you right but that old photo taken with a point and shoot is better than the current one. Can you believe that I mistook a decent hemiobol for a lousy tet? Seriously, I know I have too many coins. I will be reshooting it now to see if I can do better.
