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 Replies: 6 / Views: 2,639 |
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Valued Member
United States
164 Posts |
I had a few questions about magnifiers for use in cherrypicking and spottings errors/varietys on coins, and was wondering what the best types were. I have a few 10x and 20x magnifiers, but none of them really seem to work well for spotting those microscopic varietys. I also had a 30x magnifiyng glass, but its only about 10x power. I heard that buying a 30x "Triplet" magnifying glass would work much better, But I'm not really sure what "Triplet" means. Would a Triplet 30x magnifier be better for cherrypicking then a normal 30x? I was thinking about this one here (or one similar): http://www.amazon.com/Triplet-Jewel...90040&sr=8-1Thanks again for all your help  |
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Moderator
 United States
56855 Posts |
Joe, I don't recommend that one, I had one just like that and got rid of it...fast. It gave a blurry image. I use a 14x doublet ANCO is the brand and it cost less then $10.A triplet is better then a doublet because there is three lens in a triplet and two in a doublet. A Hastings triplet is the way to go, but they cost a little more. A good one is probably around $50. I have seen the real good ones cost around $100 but what ever one you buy it will last a lifetime so spending $50 to $100 is well worth it. Also,this might sound dumb but I use mine upside down,no not me the loupe and it gives me a much better image. Try it right side up and then upside down on the same coin and let me know what you think. Hope this helps, John1  |
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Valued Member
United States
341 Posts |
Just throwing my Two Cents in. I recently purchased a set from ebay. Bad deal. They came from China. I figured they would be poorly made, and they were, but I thought 20x is 20x. How can the screw up the glass? They can. I have a name brand 10x and its clearer and produces a much sharper image than the 15x that was in the set I just bought. So I guess name brand is the way to go. The cheaper ones seem to be really touchy with distances. Everything has to be just right. I am having a hard time finding places to purchase them. Everyone seems to have 3x & 5x glasses, but can't seem to find alot of options when it comes to high powered loups. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
12437 Posts |
Whatever you do, do not go cheap! Cheap optics are just junk that will ruin your eyesight and frustrate your search for varieties. A quality 7x will outdo any no-name 20x out the due to the quality of optics used in the loupe. I have almost $100 invested in my optics, an Eschenbach 7x 35mm illuminated magnifier(for general purpose use) and a Bausch & Lomb 14x Hastings Triplet(for varieties)- those two magnifiers will probably last a lifetime for me, money well spent  As an aside, a collector should not spend their entire budget on coins alone. As you can see, quality optics do not come cheap but they are worthwhile. Some take the extra step and jump up to a microscope which is a several hundred dollar expense. The QX3/5 digital scopes are usually adequate but they are decidedly inferior when compared to a good binocular scope. I do not have a scope yet, but I have some scavenged parts from a couple scientific instruments(ultra microtomes) that I plan to use to build two scopes, more on that project in the future  Also, any good collector should strive to spend at least 2-5% of their budget on a numismatic library- remember, buy the book before the coin  |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10045 Posts |
Quote:
A quality 7x will outdo any no-name 20x out the due to the quality of optics used in the loupe.  Anything higher than 8-10X is overkill for most varieties. It's also much easier to focus your eyes using an 8X than a 16X--a big deal if you're spending hours cherrypicking. |
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Valued Member
United States
380 Posts |
i went with the hastings triplet 10x and a 30x the 10 x was $20.00 from a local gem and rock shop.
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Valued Member
 United States
164 Posts |
Thanks to everyone for all your replies, You convinced me to stay away from the cheap stuff, lol. I guess i'll invest in one of those Bausch and lomb hastings triplets (Still trying to decide between the 10x and 14x >.<).
I've bought at least five or six extremely cheap magnifying glasses, and none of them ever worked well (Blurry/distorted/not powerfull enough). I was starting to think maybe something was wrong with my eyesight lol, now I know how important the quality of the magnifying glass is.
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Replies: 6 / Views: 2,639 |
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Posted 09/04/2009 1:16 pm
