Magnification...it's a wonderful thing.

Piano1

I clearly remember having such good "close up" vision" in my 20's through 40's that I could use a small, low-power handheld magnifier at coin shows. Those days are now in the rearview mirror...WAY back!) Now at 72, I am going through a box of coins for a friend (no treasures to be sure) and my little magnifier didn't do the trick anymore. I needed something that would just magnify maybe 5 to 10 times. I splurged ($30) and just bought an excellent "desk magnifying light lamp" and wow, it makes viewing coins SO much easier! Just as an example, I found an (AG at best) 1797 cent. Now I can determine it is the 1797 reverse with stems. Couldn't do that with the handheld. Looking at coins is much easier and I can be more accurate now. Should have done this years ago.

Piano1

Mr_Spud

I started using one of these when I developed Cataracts, and I still use it after getting artificial lenses implanted. I was extremely near sighted before that and didn’t need any magnification at all. Now, after the operation, I’m farsighted and use the Magnabrite for coins, and even to read product labels and fine print on anything.

coinbuf

I understand that it can be a useful tool for some, but the problem is that many newbies who use high magnification start jumping down rabbit holes and think that every coin they have is an extreme rarity. Because of that I discourage the use of high magnification and tools like microscopes for most.

gumby1234

I used to cherrypick coins with no magnification. Now its hard even with a loupe. Eyesight is definitely not what it used to be..

Onastone

I agree.....eyesight should not be taken for granted, getting older, eyes changing, can't see fine detail as close as I used to- that's for sure. That's why I started using these:
I thought they would help, but didn't work so well....

Glen2022

Same problem. aint it hell to get old!

bsshog40

Yep, sux when the eyes get bad. I also mess with watches. I bought me a Donegan magnifier and it came with about 4 or 5 different lenses. It works great and I can even wear my glasses underneath it if I need to.

PerryHall

@Glen2022 said:
Same problem. aint it hell to get old!

Getting old sure beats the alternative.

Jimnight

I really like using a 10X loupe.

AUandAG

@Piano1 said:
I clearly remember having such good "close up" vision" in my 20's through 40's that I could use a small, low-power handheld magnifier at coin shows. Those days are now in the rearview mirror...WAY back!) Now at 72, I am going through a box of coins for a friend (no treasures to be sure) and my little magnifier didn't do the trick anymore. I needed something that would just magnify maybe 5 to 10 times. I splurged ($30) and just bought an excellent "desk magnifying light lamp" and wow, it makes viewing coins SO much easier! Just as an example, I found an (AG at best) 1797 cent. Now I can determine it is the 1797 reverse with stems. Couldn't do that with the handheld. Looking at coins is much easier and I can be more accurate now. Should have done this years ago.

Piano1

got a link to where you bought it?
bob

lkenefic

Magnification is good, but Resolution rules the day! Being able to resolve two objects close together is what it's all about...

Piano1

AUandAG. Hi. This is a desk magnifier like mine. Sorry about the long link! Hope this helps. Piano1

https://www.ebay.com/itm/184450017467?hash=item2af213e8bb:g:1-gAAOSwLcBifyf6&amdata=enc:AQAHAAAA8EVvTS5qy4fEWE+z6gYTJKwkgRoDNxb+vaswFGJbTu78bMjpKJV1qjhAZ1ng+dGycVtQ0/rz2g5g/n3TeCqbsoEeV0hGcDC4scJ1HLr7KUAs/y0F58yVXjpVxx8Z28CXl8pwDiqnlwzXeIR8EVQdixL2coKBpUoOJ3+4qAuEIFpCQ8IQtiopVCg0sw0bkv/5XWthq0oU88sPNCvR35cbYGK/tD9h2Nux4hia62mRzSr6WbEGJgL5/1WLxpQqIKc3KbLxf0C4G/vjofsPKDQNB4zzY4ibc2KCDywXWH4oYdGgUYuN5NJK/jfeQ9LfaLjS6w==|tkp:BFBMnOK2s81h

gumby1234

@PerryHall said:

@Glen2022 said:
Same problem. aint it hell to get old!

Getting old sure beats the alternative.

So true. Two years ago this time I was in the hospital near death.

AUandAG

@piano1 Thanks!

Piano1

@coinbuf said:
I understand that it can be a useful tool for some, but the problem is that many newbies who use high magnification start jumping down rabbit holes and think that every coin they have is an extreme rarity. Because of that I discourage the use of high magnification and tools like microscopes for most.

Hello, coinbuf.

I hear you well, and as a kid collector, tiny little irregularities I might see on a coin got me all excited. There wasn't much research material back then in the late 1950's and around those years (at least that I knew of or could afford) so my "discoveries" usually were never significant. I still have a few of these pieces (when I can get photos online, I'll share a few). They helped me to stay excited about collecting for about 60 + years. So, if young collectors/newbies find something using magnification on a coin, I say, GOOD! Keep the kids guessing, learning, reading and eventually they will most likely discover that their little error really is nothing, but they enjoyed the learning and the hobby in the process.

It seems that young collectors are a rare breed these days. Computer games and stuff have taken over in my humble opinion. The hobby needs them back. Let them "magnify" coins and hopefully develop an interest. That's what the hobby needs.

Piano1

oih82w8

Piano1

@oih82w8 said:

You're creapin' me out there, oih82w8! And what's worse, I think I've seen that eyeball before at a Boston coin show years ago. I never forget an eyeball...

Thanks for the smile.

Piano1

Barberian

@coinbuf said:
I understand that it can be a useful tool for some, but the problem is that many newbies who use high magnification start jumping down rabbit holes and think that every coin they have is an extreme rarity. Because of that I discourage the use of high magnification and tools like microscopes for most.

I realize we're discussing newbies, but how are they going to find the rarities? A decent stereoscope opens up new numismatic horizons. Eventually, the newbie collector will have to acquire at least a nice loupe if they want to really study coins.

I should add that I've worked extensively with microscopes for a living. They're one of my favorite toys. I also started collecting as a child with good eyesight and didn't use a loupe much for the coins I was collecting. However, I didn't realize that my 1954-S nickel was an S/D, or my 1855 half was an early die state overdate, as well as a couple dozen other neat discoveries until I started examining coins with a stereoscope, usually under low magnification (7-10X).

emeraldATV

I'm one of those newbee's I guess because I started out using a micro camera.
45 years on press with a glass (loupe) in hand, if I wanted to be employed.
If I think about it...I used it at least 3-400 times during a 8 hour shift.
Micro camera's remind me of my phone problem. I love my flip phone, but alas it's time for a smart phone.
What I don't get is, why don't all pressmen use a glass to follow their work in progress ?
You feel better on that trip home from work kinda proud of what you created. PS Don't get cocky

Signed : A newbee moving on up using a smartphone.

Onastone

I do use a 10X loupe, standard HE Harris magnifier.

Here's another option, still available in the market:

Jzyskowski1

I always seem to wind up on the poor side of town 😂
Here’s my upgrade from the loop. I am practicing taking pictures through the magnifier and with surprising results. I’ll post when I figure out how to steady my shaky hand 😁
“ welcome back baby, to the poor side of town “🎶🙀

tcollects

I use a fancy 10x loupe for up close looks, but most of the time I use an old enlarger lens. The field of view is great and the optics are better than you can get with a loupe, imho. And they're cheap on eBay.

ricko

I carry a 3/6/9 Zeiss loupe with me all the time... Use it for many things. At home I use a Sirchie magnifier. Cheers, RickO

coinbuf

@Barberian said:

@coinbuf said:
I understand that it can be a useful tool for some, but the problem is that many newbies who use high magnification start jumping down rabbit holes and think that every coin they have is an extreme rarity. Because of that I discourage the use of high magnification and tools like microscopes for most.

I realize we're discussing newbies, but how are they going to find the rarities? A decent stereoscope opens up new numismatic horizons. Eventually, the newbie collector will have to acquire at least a nice loupe if they want to really study coins.

I should add that I've worked extensively with microscopes for a living. They're one of my favorite toys. I also started collecting as a child with good eyesight and didn't use a loupe much for the coins I was collecting. However, I didn't realize that my 1954-S nickel was an S/D, or my 1855 half was an early die state overdate, as well as a couple dozen other neat discoveries until I started examining coins with a stereoscope, usually under low magnification (7-10X).

And I'll bet that had you used a loupe when you were younger you would have had no problem seeing those very obvious overdates without the use of a microscope. Almost no young person with good eyesight needs a microscope to find a variety. A simple 5-7X loupe is all you need, if something is so small and unimportant that you need more magnification than 10X why bother? All a microscope does is get people (like the hundreds that have shown up here and the NGC forum over the past three years) showing off their imaginary errors and jumping down rabbit holes chasing minutiae. Nobody needs to study coins at the micron level, nobody. It would be one thing if these folks were really interested in learning, but the truth is most of them are only interested in how much can they fleece someone for their junk on etsy or ebay.

Sure I get that as we age we might not have the same eyesight we had when we were young, I am a grandfather and no longer young myself. That is why I said magnification can be a useful tool, however, like any tool there is a right way and a wrong way to use it. I imagine it's possible to use a hammer to straighten a broken finger, but there are better tools for that job. Just as there are better tools to look at coins than microscopes for the vast majority of people.

Make no mistake, if that is the sizzle for some of you great; personally, I have seen enough imaginary faces of animals, sports stars, or in the case of emerald atv bacterial growth up close, to last me a lifetime 10X over. But if you guys want to see more photos of that "stuff" I'm sure someone will be happy to oblige and post up a coin with the face of Jesus on it for your enjoyment.

habaraca

Selling all my goodies off CAUSE i can't enjoy them like I used to........

Steven59

Leave the high magnification to the Forensic Science Experts!

Barberian

@coinbuf said:

@Barberian said:

@coinbuf said:

And I'll bet that had you used a loupe when you were younger you would have had no problem seeing those very obvious overdates without the use of a microscope. Almost no young person with good eyesight needs a microscope to find a variety. A simple 5-7X loupe is all you need, if something is so small and unimportant that you need more magnification than 10X why bother? All a microscope does is get people (like the hundreds that have shown up here and the NGC forum over the past three years) showing off their imaginary errors and jumping down rabbit holes chasing minutiae. Nobody needs to study coins at the micron level, nobody. It would be one thing if these folks were really interested in learning, but the truth is most of them are only interested in how much can they fleece someone for their junk on etsy or ebay.

Sure I get that as we age we might not have the same eyesight we had when we were young, I am a grandfather and no longer young myself. That is why I said magnification can be a useful tool, however, like any tool there is a right way and a wrong way to use it. I imagine it's possible to use a hammer to straighten a broken finger, but there are better tools for that job. Just as there are better tools to look at coins than microscopes for the vast majority of people.

Make no mistake, if that is the sizzle for some of you great; personally, I have seen enough imaginary faces of animals, sports stars, or in the case of emerald atv bacterial growth up close, to last me a lifetime 10X over. But if you guys want to see more photos of that "stuff" I'm sure someone will be happy to oblige and post up a coin with the face of Jesus on it for your enjoyment.

Well, I disagree with much of this, but to each his own. I'm one of the 'tiny minority.' I'm not a parking lot coin troll either (or think you're equating me with one). I'm just a regular idiot who loves both coins and microscopes.

In further recollection, I must admit I recall seeing the S/D as a kid without a loupe, and I had a loupe as well back then. That was a "rediscovery," made over two decades after its collection during an inventory using a scope when I learned that that 'messed up mintmark nickel' was a significant RPMM for the first time. I didn't know varieties aside from Redbook varieties when I was 11 years old.

In an office/lab setting, there is no comparing a loupe with a good stereoscope on a proper stand in terms of optical quality and ease of use, IMO. I have loupes and use them frequently. They're an established tool of the trade, but it's often a struggle to determine die varieties with them. Furthermore, nothing reveals past crimes against coinage than a high-resolution stereoscope from my experience. It's much easier to use one of my stereoscopes and high-res evidence they provide. The clarity and resolution are awesome.

emeraldATV

Reading these comments again, brings to mind , something else that may not have been noted here, about all camera's.
"The awesome craftsmanship, that can be shown, in detail, with a captured photograph in time".

@Steven59 said:
Leave the high magnification to the Forensic Science Experts!

The term forensic science involves forensic (or forensis, in Latin), which means a public discussion or debate.
Forensic science , able to recognize, collect, identify, and interpret different types of physical evidence.
(RESEARCH)