Loupes And Magnifying Glasses

G'day, I have several types, and when one won't do the job, generally another will. That said, I haven't found one that is perfect for every job.

One that is very handy is a "stamp collector's glass". The lens sits on little legs, or a cylinder. You put your coin on a table, put this glass over it, then get down until it's in focus. The trick is, that this one fixes the distance from the coin to the lens, and all you have to do, is to get the distance from the lens to your eye correct.

All other glasses require you to get both distances right. Until you are familiar with a particular glass, that can be a hassle.

All of the stamp collector's glasses I have seen are about 50mm wide at the base, which is ample for all the coins I want to look at. They cost about $10, here in Oz. The trick is: lighting. Get one with legs, or a transparent cylinder: that way, you can shine a light in from the side - I use a single LED in my mobile 'phone.

The mintmarks on sovereigns can be very hard to find. I use a cheap jeweller's loupe for them, about 15x I think it is, and I go outdoors at noon.

I know that one can buy "illuminated magnifying glasses", but I've never seen one that puts the light in the same place as the object you want to see.

You can spend a lot of money on these devices, and I'm sure that the expensive ones are wonderful, but I prefer to spend my money on coins. My dearest optical aid cost me under $20, and some really handy items cost only $2.50.

And, if you wear specs, try the glass with them on, and without. Sometimes, I get a better result one way; other times, the other way.

Peter in Oz

Someone here recomended Eschenbach Illuminated Magnifiers. I believe they're expensive but its with LED Immumination.