Why do so many newer collectors have a scale

gumby1234

Wondering why is it that so many new collectors have a scale? I've been collecting since 1975 and have never owned one. I did recently borrow one from a friend for a day so that I could weigh a clad layer only coin. While I had it I also weighed a couple of my counterfeit coins.

amwldcoin

Hmmm, I guess I've had my old high school type triple beam for over 30 years. Hard to beat for accuracy and can weigh up to 2500 grams!

PerryHall

Electronic scales are very cheap and they are very accurate. Collectors use them to authenticate coins but many high quality counterfeits meet mint specs exactly as far as weight and diameter. Check them out on eBay and Amazon.

Maywood

Why do so many newer collectors have a scale?

So that when they need one to "weigh a clad layer only coin" they don't have to "borrow one from a friend for a day" to get that done. As @PerryHall said, they are quite cheap and they come in handy.

thebeav

As Perry said, they cost almost nothing.

gumby1234

@PerryHall Yes but the question was why do so many new collectors even have one. I was never interested in weighing coins even when I was a youngster.

JBK

@PerryHall said:
Electronic scales are very cheap and they are very accurate. Collectors use them to authenticate coins but many high quality counterfeits meet mint specs exactly as far as weight and diameter. Check them out on eBay and Amazon.

The scales or the counterfeits?

gumby1234

@Maywood I dont think newer collectors are weighing clad layer only error coins.

Maywood

@gumby1234, C'mon, I'm sure you get my point. They are weighing something even if it might be to differentiate 2.6-3.1 bronze and zinc cents. The point is that a small digital scale is relatively inexpensive, low cost and handy to have.

PerryHall

@JBK said:

@PerryHall said:
Electronic scales are very cheap and they are very accurate. Collectors use them to authenticate coins but many high quality counterfeits meet mint specs exactly as far as weight and diameter. Check them out on eBay and Amazon.

The scales or the counterfeits?

Both. LOL.

The_Dinosaur_Man

Sometimes the scales aren't used for just coins, but given the fear and likelihood of encountering an improper weight counterfeit, it is cheap security to verify their purchases or sold coins.

ricko

I purchased one about ten years ago.... Just felt it was a good tool to have handy. The new collectors often have coin questions and other members ask how much it weighs. Ergo, buy a scale, cheap enough. Cheers, RickO

JesseKraft

There are many more semi-convincing Morgan dollar counterfeits (and other types) on the market now than there were 20, 30, or 50 years ago (Yes, 1975 was nearly 50 years ago!!). Weighing them is one of the quickest, easiest, and cheapest ways to weed out the majority of the bad ones.

jmlanzaf

@gumby1234 said:
@PerryHall Yes but the question was why do so many new collectors even have one. I was never interested in weighing coins even when I was a youngster.

ALL collectors should have one to aid with counterfeit detection.

What you really want to ask is why they are randomly weighing everything.

WaterSport

@gumby1234 said:
Wondering why is it that so many new collectors have a scale?

Because they saw someone who was an "expert" using one on YouTube or Facebook is all I can figure.

WS

rec78

It's not just newer collectors, I am an older collector and I have one also. I'm a coin roll searcher and
I use it all time.

87redcivic

...because hobbyiests love having all the optional accessories for their hobby.

(I'm guilty of this too.)

P0CKETCHANGE

I think they’re using them to weigh whatever drugs they’re taking before posting here.

Che_Grapes

Originally purchased to weigh their weed, but now older and wiser (!!), they now watch birds, collect coins and use the scale for other things now....

MFeld

Many newer “collectors” have scales in order to assist their hunt for pocket-change riches.

pcgscacgold

They grew up watching Breaking Bad.

mr1931S

Never mind the weighing scale which I agree with some, belongs in the tool kit of every collector. I'm puzzled by the lack of interest of many newer coin buyers to inspect a coin with a loupe. What is it? Buy it and have an experienced collector who always is armed with a loupe tell him he bought a woofer, a woofer that could easily have been detected as such if only the buyer had used a loupe?

P0CKETCHANGE

@mr1874 said:
Never mind the weighing scale which I agree with some, belongs in the tool kit of every collector. I'm puzzled by the lack of interest of many newer coin buyers to inspect a coin with a loupe. What is it? Buy it and have an experienced collector who always is armed with a loupe tell him he bought a woofer, a woofer that could easily have been detected as such if only the buyer had used a loupe?

Who needs a loupe when they all seem to have electron microscopes?

TwoSides2aCoin

Looking for that small date 1982-D Lincoln cent weighing 3.1 grams; is one reason I sold them to new collectors. You know the search is not just visual.

RegistryCoin

Coin collecting weighs heavy these days.

ShaunBC5

I suppose I might have one one day, but the way I buy coins it doesn’t really make sense. I’m not going to wag a scale, along with a battery pack to a show. I don’t buy raw off the internet and I’m not looking for pocket change riches (I check, but wouldn’t fool with a scale).
I think the noobs feel like it’s a valuable tool for less money than a red book, so why not get excited about using it?
For my son (8), I have never encouraged him to get a scale. Maybe I’m holding him back.

LanceNewmanOCC

i don't have one at this time but need to pick one up some time as i have some blanks that probably need weighed in order to identify. i'm thinking they are both foreign.

the op is right, it SEEMS like more people are using them these days than in the past as seen as the posters on this forum and MANY a ebay listing and probably other sites as well.

very useful, very inexpensive, very accurate etc. - when i had my other one, i purchased a little weight in order to check its accuracy from time-to-time.

CoinHoarder

I use a scale to check my "junk" silver and cull silver dollars.

I am checking for wear. And if the weight of a coin is indicative of a genuine coin.

gumby1234

I know there are good reasons to have a scale. Like if your searching for 1982 D copper cents among other things, but I was referring to all the new "collectors" that are weighing every darn coin that they come across.

PerryHall

@ShaunBC5 said:
I’m not going to wag a scale, along with a battery pack to a show.

The scales suitable for weighing coins are the size of a calculator or a smart phone. Most would easily fit in a shirt pocket.

Randoms

I would suspect it has to do with other hobbies they may have. Weighing packs or cards, boxes, items for postage. A scale goes a long way

Zoins

To check for rolled thin or rolled thick errors

MasonG

@Zoins said:
To check for rolled thin or rolled thick errors

How many would you have to find and then sell in order to cover the cost of the scale? And how long would that take?

Asking for a friend...

Zoins

@MasonG said:

@Zoins said:
To check for rolled thin or rolled thick errors

How many would you have to find and then sell in order to cover the cost of the scale? And how long would that take?

Asking for a friend...

A scale can be less than $10 so just one rare coin is needed.

As for how long it would take, some error experts may be able to help.

MasonG

@Zoins said:
A scale can be less than $10 so just one rare coin is needed.

Are these coins rare? Is there any demand? Can you sell one for $10?

jmlanzaf

@Zoins said:

@MasonG said:

@Zoins said:
To check for rolled thin or rolled thick errors

How many would you have to find and then sell in order to cover the cost of the scale? And how long would that take?

Asking for a friend...

A scale can be less than $10 so just one rare coin is needed.

As for how long it would take, some error experts may be able to help.

I assume your time is free.

Zoins

@MasonG said:

@Zoins said:
A scale can be less than $10 so just one rare coin is needed.

Are these coins rare? Is there any demand? Can you sell one for $10?

$10 might be tough, but perhaps $1,000.

Zoins

@jmlanzaf said:

@Zoins said:

@MasonG said:

@Zoins said:
To check for rolled thin or rolled thick errors

How many would you have to find and then sell in order to cover the cost of the scale? And how long would that take?

Asking for a friend...

A scale can be less than $10 so just one rare coin is needed.

As for how long it would take, some error experts may be able to help.

I assume your time is free.

For some coin collectors, it's all in the hunt, CRH that is.

Read more here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coin_roll_hunting

MasonG

@Zoins said:

@MasonG said:

@Zoins said:
A scale can be less than $10 so just one rare coin is needed.

Are these coins rare? Is there any demand? Can you sell one for $10?

Have you been reading the posts here? People are looking through their change and hunting coin rolls. Are you suggesting the coin you described is likely to be found that way?

Zoins

@MasonG said:

@Zoins said:

@MasonG said:

@Zoins said:
A scale can be less than $10 so just one rare coin is needed.

Are these coins rare? Is there any demand? Can you sell one for $10?

Have you been reading the posts here? People are looking through their change and hunting coin rolls. Are you suggesting the coin you described is likely to be found that way?

Many coins people search for aren't likely to be found at all.

Do you think people only search for coins likely to be found?

MasonG

Is the coin you posted a "thick rolled error"? Because that's the kind of error you said people were looking for.

jmlanzaf

@Zoins said:

@MasonG said:

@Zoins said:

@MasonG said:

@Zoins said:
A scale can be less than $10 so just one rare coin is needed.

Are these coins rare? Is there any demand? Can you sell one for $10?

Have you been reading the posts here? People are looking through their change and hunting coin rolls. Are you suggesting the coin you described is likely to be found that way?

Many coins people search for aren't likely to be found at all.

Do you think people only search for coins likely to be found?

Isn't that coin a pattern not a random thickly rolled planchet?

Zoins

@jmlanzaf said:

@Zoins said:

@MasonG said:

@Zoins said:

@MasonG said:

@Zoins said:
A scale can be less than $10 so just one rare coin is needed.

Are these coins rare? Is there any demand? Can you sell one for $10?

Have you been reading the posts here? People are looking through their change and hunting coin rolls. Are you suggesting the coin you described is likely to be found that way?

Many coins people search for aren't likely to be found at all.

Do you think people only search for coins likely to be found?

Isn't that coin a pattern not a random thickly rolled planchet?

As with many coins, we don't really know. Some people consider it a pattern while others consider it an error. Both are mentioned in the lot description.

Namvet69

Glad I had my digital scale cause I learned how to do specific gravity tests, which is a valuable tool. Peace Roy

jmlanzaf

@Zoins said:

@jmlanzaf said:

@Zoins said:

@MasonG said:

@Zoins said:

@MasonG said:

@Zoins said:
A scale can be less than $10 so just one rare coin is needed.

Are these coins rare? Is there any demand? Can you sell one for $10?

Have you been reading the posts here? People are looking through their change and hunting coin rolls. Are you suggesting the coin you described is likely to be found that way?

Many coins people search for aren't likely to be found at all.

Do you think people only search for coins likely to be found?

Isn't that coin a pattern not a random thickly rolled planchet?

As with many coins, we don't really know. Some people consider it a pattern while others consider it an error. Both are mentioned in the lot description.

Wouldn't this be more what you are likely to find?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/154950114873?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=m6EDpehzT4W&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=I7BWTu72SVS&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Zoins

@jmlanzaf said:

@Zoins said:

@jmlanzaf said:

@Zoins said:

@MasonG said:

@Zoins said:

@MasonG said:

@Zoins said:
A scale can be less than $10 so just one rare coin is needed.

Are these coins rare? Is there any demand? Can you sell one for $10?

Have you been reading the posts here? People are looking through their change and hunting coin rolls. Are you suggesting the coin you described is likely to be found that way?

Many coins people search for aren't likely to be found at all.

Do you think people only search for coins likely to be found?

Isn't that coin a pattern not a random thickly rolled planchet?

As with many coins, we don't really know. Some people consider it a pattern while others consider it an error. Both are mentioned in the lot description.

Wouldn't this be more what you are likely to find?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/154950114873

That's a thin planchet error but I don't know if it's more or less likely to be found.

As mentioned, many people hunting are not necessarily looking for things that are "likely" to be found at all.

I don't really consider errors likely to be found though people do search for them.

Steven59

Along with a scale they should also find a website that tells tolerances for US coins. And read (damn, there is that word "read" again) on how coin blank stock can be rolled a bit too thin or a bit too thick without being rejected by the mint.