Best Microscope Coin Collecting

Ultimately I guess least expensive for my criteria..I don't know how much that would be. I guess ideally less than $200 but given how much more I'm doing these days I'd go higher for better versatility and quality.

I'm also in the market for a decent microscope, price limit around $750 and I'd like it to be photograph ready, meaning I want it to take pictures of coins right out of the box.

Each microscope type has its strengths and weaknesses.

USB microscopes are good for quick scans of coins and physical measurements. The image quality (at higher power) is good enough for sharing online for rough identification but often the shots won't show shadow details needed to allow proper attribution of a variety.

Stereo microscopes are good for both quick scans and detailed inspection of varieties for attribution purposes. Image quality from a trinocular port is generally similar to a USB scope. Image quality from the eyepiece can be better, even good enough for attribution, but is difficult to control for lighting (shadow details) and depth of field.

Photomacrographic systems are good for taking detailed photos of varieties. Lighting is much easier to control, so shadow details can be optimized for accurate attributions.

I personally use a stereo microscope to scan my coins, setting aside anything that needs further viewing. I then go back to those coins with the stereo microscope, viewing them in 3D to attribute them as varieties, or debunk them. I then take pictures of anything particularly interesting using a photomacrographic system for sharing in online discussions.

Macrocoins images are amazzing! Talk about genius level work.

Thanks all for the kind words. I have not been able to edit my website for some time as GoDaddy discontinued their editing program and the website is now "static", though all the info is still valid.

I've done some additional work recently in the area of High Resolution Imaging. Check out a few of these recent HiRes shots:

A 1955-D BIE: https://easyzoom.com/image/501143/a...?mode=manage

A VEDS 1954-S RPM-015: https://easyzoom.com/image/343176/a...?mode=manage

A 1955-S in VEDS showing "Hub Scratches": https://easyzoom.com/image/294790/a...?mode=manage

These HiRes photos are a lot of fun to make, and people have found them mesmerizing as you can zoom so far into them to see every detail of the surface and markers and such.

Thanks! They fulfill my goal of displaying a variety and all its die markers in a single photo per side. They are a bit of work, but I think they are actually easier than doing many individual shots as we've done for so long, and they show ALL of the markers rather than just a few select ones.

I like this one here: https://elikliv.com/Elikliv-Autofoc...oldering-Mic

It can do side by side comparisons, autofocus, negative (seeing doubling, surface marks, etc.) and can produce 52MP images for great detail.