Handheld Loups / Magnifiers
baseballjeff
Posts: 1,082 ✭✭✭
Hello,
I am looking to get a nice magnifying glass, and a person in this group suggested I look at Eschenbach Germany loups. Thank you for this!!!
My question, what would be better for coins? The 8x, or 10x?
Thank you,
Jeff
0
Comments
I use this one- it has excellent optics and the large lenses make it possible to see most of, if not the whole coin. I use the 6x for grading and combine it with the 4x to make 10x for variety hunting/verification. If I can't see the variety with 10x I don't want it
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https://www.wizardcoinsupply.com/product/eschenbach-precision-folding-magnifier-30mm-4x6x10x.html
I know a lot of folks with the 3/6/9: https://www.wizardcoinsupply.com/product/eschenbach-3x6-precision-folding-magnifier-23mm-3x6x9x.html
This the one I have on my desk, and I use it all the time. Fantastic quality.
I like a 10× and a 3x with a bigger field area. Both are handy
The Eschenbach 5x is my favorite for grading.
Unless you are looking at/for difficult to see varieties, or are really scrutinizing the surfaces of a coin, I think anything over 5x is overkill. I use the Bausch & Lomb 5x aspherical loupe and it is inexpensive, high quality, easy to use and can accommodate essentially an entire coin in its viewing area at once. In my opinion, at about $12-$15 it is a much better investment for most folks than a 3-6-9 loupe that might cost ten times as much and might not be as useful.
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
It depends on what you are going to be doing.
I carry a large glass 2x Sherlock Holmes style for scanning cases at shows.
When I find something I’m interested in, I use the 5x Eschenbach to look for issues.
In the rare event I want to study a mint mark or look for a variety, I have a 10x handy.
So, @baseballjeff your question is between the 8x and the 10x, but I'm going to side with @airplanenut - the 3/6/9 is top notch; that's what I use (and I collect teeny-tiny half dimes!) I guess the form factor is a matter of preference but what all of us are saying is, Eschenbach glass and manufacturing quality is definitely recommendable.
New website: Groovycoins.com Capped Bust Half Dime registry set: Bikergeek CBHD LM Set
I am closing in on finishing my Mercury Dime collection in FB, and really just enjoy looking at my dimes, and other coins in my collection up close.
Thank you everyone!
Jeff
My Bausch & Lomb 10X Hastings Triplet works well for me.
Pete
While Zeiss and Eschenbach are very high-quality magnifiers, they are also very expensive. With some looking and some luck, you can sometimes pick up a used one in good condition on eBay at a decent discount.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
I use two loupes all the time:
– cheap Bausch & Lomb for "the big picture"
– Eschenbach 12x for the small details (VAMs)
I have two, a 5x and 10x Eschenbach. The 5x does 90% of the work.
I believe a 5x loupe is all that is really necessary for coin collecting. That being said, many years ago (about 30), I purchased a Zeiss 3x6x9x foldable magnifier that I carry with me every day.... I use it often for many different things. They do not wear out. So, really, a $15 loupe is a great buy, put a small hole in it for a neck string, and it will serve you well at shows, shops and yard sales. Cheers, RickO
Thank you! Sounded like this was the best overall loupe by the consensus.
I ended up buying one of these with the link you provided.
Thank you everyone,
Jeff
I was looking on Amazon for a Bausch & Lomb 10X Hastings Triplet but noticed they only sell ones labeled as Coddington, not Hastings Triplet. Is there a difference between the two? Recommend one over the other?
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The Hastings triplet has a larger field of view and sharper image compared to the Coddington lenses.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
I wonder why no more Hastings, unless Amazon just doesn't have listings for it. E-bay has them, along with the Coddington.
Pete
I see. Thanks!
Sounds like a Hastings triplet will be more fitting for me.
I almost thought they were the same thing and almost bought it on Amazon. It is strange. I see that Wizard has the Hastings triplet much cheaper than eBay but they are sold out.
Collector
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Listen to TomB. You want a glass that allows you to view the entire obverse or reverse. 8x or 10x are for variety collectors or maybe if you collect dollar gold pieces or Mercury dimes.
I do prefer a little more expensive loupe than the Bausch and Lomb Tom recommends although I have purchased a few of those at shows where I forgot to bring a loupe.
"Look up, old boy, and see what you get." -William Bonney.
I suppose it also depends on exactly how they're used and the quality of one's eyesight. I'm not one to disagree with @TomB all that much, but I think we're looking at things differently here. My eyes are (knock on wood) very good, and in general I don't put coins under a loupe. When I do, it's because there's something specific that my eye alone isn't picking up or I'm not sure of. At that point, I want stronger magnification and don't care much about if the whole coin fits in the field of my loupe. While I have a 3/6/9, I almost exclusively use the 9x setting. If using a loupe regularly as an aid to general coin viewing, I see the point about a bigger loupe with less magnification. In all honesty, that practice was out of mind enough that it didn't even cross my mind that's why someone would be buying a loupe.
I enjoy viewing the whole coin in the field of view. That said, I use a 2x Sherlock Holmes magnifier for larger coins, My Soviet made 4x and my Hastings Triplet 7x are what I grab first for most coins. I also splurged on 10x & 15x BelOMO loupes for studying Indian Cent Varieties. My loupe collection is perhaps excessive since I only have fewer than thirty coins in my collection! lol
Matt Snebold
The 10X triplet loupe made by BelOMO (Belarus Optical and Mechanical Organization) is a quality magnifier that is relatively inexpensive. They were originally the manufacturing company for optics for the Soviet military before the USSR collapsed and dissolved. Their optics were used in soviet sniper scopes, spy satellites, cruise missiles, etc. They use large and highly corrected coated optics and the quality is first rate. This magnifier is very popular with professional geologists for examining mineral samples. It's a little too strong for grading but it's perfect for authenticating coins and checking for tooling and added mintmarks.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
Jeremy, it is an interesting point about having good eyes. I tend to have to look at most coins with a loupe or with my reading glasses as I am mildly far-sighted.
"Look up, old boy, and see what you get." -William Bonney.
I use bausch & lomb 3x-4x=7x on the bourse floor ( no longer made . Some Brick and mortars still have them.)
nice large lens 36mm I believe, can see the whole coin at once. some well known dealer use this one.
4x is as good as a 5x. flip of a finger to get 7X to look closer.
With the 3X you can look thru normal thickness dealers cases on the bourse floor if dealer is too busy to pull a coin for you. using far field focus. neat trick.
Also carry a ANCO silver 16X for varieties ,nice large lens (23mm?) to let more light in as the16X focal distance is very small,
works well. My pouch usually also has some sort of 10X loupe. Eschenback 10X 23mm, Bolomo 10X 23mm etc.
A new Zeiss 3x-6X=9X is also a very good lens. NGC graders use this one. The old East German Zeiss Jena's 3x-6x=9X are a touch better in my opinion. they have a black casing and reflect less light back at your eye then the new Zeiss's above.
I may be wrong here but I think PCGS graders use various : Eschenback 5X glass, B&L 5x slide aspheric plastic, B&L 7x
Krueger
I collect loupes too.
I have 2 that I use .
A bausch & lomb also a Ottlite that has a built in led lamp
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