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 Replies: 12 / Views: 3,296 |
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New Member
United States
48 Posts |
What type of magnification device do you all use to look at your coins? I have a couple of magnifying glasses and loops but they don't magnify enough to see the detail. Just enough to see oddities but not quite able to make them out. What power and type of magnifying items do you use and where do you purchase them. Thanks for helping a newbie!  |
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Moderator
 United States
16679 Posts |
 .I use a 10X jewelers loupe most of the time. I also have a small one I take to shows on a lanyard. You can buy online at any coin suppliers. I use Brent Krueger but some people like Wizard coin supplies or get at a show in your area. swcoin.ecrater.com
Edited by vermontensium
11/10/2008 7:47 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5318 Posts |
I own 3 loupes: 8X, 10X, and 16X, and use a magnifier to quickly scan groups of coins. If you use loupes often, image quality and greater "eye relief" (range of working distance) makes a huge difference for me. Case in point--my high-quality (but bulky) 8X Peak loupe works better than my 16X cheapo loupe to look for varieties. The 10X is a #479 Hamilton Bell jeweler's loupe--it works well and is very compact for carrying around shows.  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
869 Posts |
I use a Magna-lite and a Pana-vue 2 (supposed to be for looking at slides)that I slide onto the end of my Panasonic 5mp camera lens. The camera has to be put on manual focus otherwise it starts going nuts and shuts itself off.  Kinda funny For clean upclose pictures I use a dell scanner at 4800.  Edited by coindexter
11/10/2008 10:02 pm
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Valued Member
United States
327 Posts |
I got a big surprise when I bought these: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ct...number=47995for a project. I wasn't expecting much, but the quality is surprisingly good, especially for polycarbonate lenses, with no distortion or other odd visual issues. The other surprise was they were not Chinese but made in India. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5318 Posts |
SPQR, You can't beat the price on those! I'm not surprised by India, because they're a huge diamond-cutting center. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
An electron microscope is the only way to go. 50,000X and better. Or just go to most coin dealers, coin shows, even Walmart. Buy one of each and see which you like the best. At one coin show a dealer usually has a table full of the things. I have about 20 different ones and seldom use anything over 10X. |
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Valued Member
United States
406 Posts |
Hey SPQR, how big are they. I bought a very small 10X jewelers loupe and it drives me nuts because it's so small. Can you view a whole quarter with one? Thanks!
BD
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Valued Member
United States
327 Posts |
They are about 1.5 inches at the top and the lens is about 1 inch or so. How much of a coin you see varies by magnification and how far away you hold it from the coin.
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New Member
 United States
48 Posts |
Thanks everyone for your replies. I think the loop I have isn't as strong as it says. Time to shop! Hey Carl, You know I can babysit that electron microscope whenever you're not using it!  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
533 Posts |
Look into a QX5 USB microscope. It is great because you can snap pics with it right onto your computer, make the image a little smaller in any photo editing software, then upload right onto CCF!! The onboard lighting isn't the best but it is sufficient. It has 3 magnification levels (10x, 60x, and 200x) and also can record video (for those coins that move around... ). With a little shopping around you should be able to find one for around $75. |
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Valued Member
United States
207 Posts |
I actually use a 10x and a 12x loop. Before I got into coins they were mostly used for minerals (I'm a geologist) The best way to use it is by placing you eye very close to the glass and then moving your head and loop in and out until you are focused on the coin. Its the technique we use when looking at mineral (or a lest the ones you can see with a loop and not a petrographic microscope..lol). I would just use a 10x loop for coins the 12x is a little much
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Rest in Peace
United States
9104 Posts |
Keep in mind the higher the magnification, the smaller the area covered, as a rule.
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Replies: 12 / Views: 3,296 |
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Posted 11/10/2008 9:23 pm
