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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;kaparthy, post: 3292224, member: 57463&quot;]Thanks for the replies.&nbsp; It is very individualized.&nbsp; When I started 25 years ago and took the ANA Introduction to Numismatics class all that was required was a 3X lens. We still use the Bausch and Lombe pocket case. (See Rushmore&#039;s above.) We were taught in grading that a medium incandescent light with natural eyes was all you needed to learn accurate grading. But as grading got tougher and as varieties exploded beyond VAMs and Wexler Cents, power became more important.&nbsp; So, I get that. I still keep to the elegant tools from the simpler times before the Empire, but here&#039;s what I have.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]870534[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH]870535[/ATTACH]&nbsp; and [ATTACH]870536[/ATTACH]</p><p>And I have two pairs of glasses, &quot;diopters&quot; just basically 4x reading glasses, one with large lenses, the other with smalls.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Leuchtturm Phonescope is fine for photographing tiny ancient Greek fractions with my iPhone 5. It does not work well for photographing larger coins, despite the image on the box. It is ok as a high power magnifier.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Intel Play USB microscope (image from Florida State U Molecular Discovery) is fine for details on paper money.</p><p><br /></p><p>The larger hand lens with the closing case (round) is 5x. I sometimes use the stand-up 5x lens. It has an open square base graduated in millimeters around the edges.</p><p><br /></p><p>When I read, I have a few drugstore glasses 1.00 to 1.75 power depending on the light and what I am reading. I use the 1.25 or 1.5 when I go to the coin store and just want to look without a magnifier. (I also keep my prescription glasses 1.75 in their case on my bedstand. I am pretty hard on gear. For the drugstore classes, I finally went to Foster Grants as being durable enough for me after I broke four or five pairs of truly cheap ones.)</p><p><br /></p><p>But as noted, it is all very individualized.&nbsp; You need to use whatever is best for you.&nbsp; So, I appreciated reading the responses here.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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