Thoughts on a halogen light for grading coins
Cuprinkor
Posts: 251 ✭✭✭
What are your thoughts on this?
0
Cuprinkor
Posts: 251 ✭✭✭
Comments
"When they can't find anything wrong with you, they create it!"
Surprisingly, we have an LED plastic bulb at the shop that viewing coins under is surprisingly good.
Like this:
At home I use a light that’s a standard bulb, but clear glass (Low wattage) 25 I think.
I have shot many coins under that one:
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I used a halogen light in the mid-late 1980’s when I was a buyer for David Hall, as that was what he preferred. As I recall, I felt that it allowed me to see hairlines on Proof coins and issues, such as wheel-marks, a bit better. On the other hand, it seemed to drown out the color of toned coins, somewhat. So sometimes I’d use both a Halogen lamp and an incandescent one.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
I still carry a halogen light around when viewing coins. And at home, I use it to take a thorough, critical look at a coin before I send it to be graded.
Halogen light is not a good choice for your first (or second) look at a coin in hand, when you’re trying to decide how much you like it.
Halogen is for when you want to see what you might not like about the coin.
As @mfeld said, halogen light is best for seeing any possible hairlines (particularly on proof coins) or surface issues on a coin. These are the types of blemishes that most photos don’t show, but pro graders seldom miss.
30+ years coin shop experience (ret.) Coins, bullion, currency, scrap & interesting folks. Loved every minute!
Not a halogen light, but when I discovered they fazed out incandescent bulb production I experimented and found a bulb called the LED "daylight" bulb is very similar to an incandescent light bulb. Just a lighting side note. James
Halogen bulbs seem to bring out the issues on a coin more than a 100w incandescent.
No matter the case, keep your bulb type consistent and you'll get used to any bulb you use.
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you" Matthew 6:33. Young fellow suffering from Bust Half fever.
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My favorite light bulb is a 100-watt incandescent one. I'm thinking a halogen light is too harsh.
I stocked up on 284 of the nice quality USA made 75 watt incandescent bulbs about 8 years ago, Lowes was selling them at $1.44 a box. I think they meant a box of 4. But they wanted to charge me $1.44 a large shipping carton of 24 little boxes of 4. So I ended up buying the entire store out!
Relatives are begging me to bequeath these bulbs to them under my will.
@MFeld or anyone but since Mark mentioned it, what are wheel marks?
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At home I use halogens for examining coins.
Interestingly, I think the worst light to use is outdoor daylight. I’ve never seen a coin look good in those conditions. Maybe there’s a metaphor here…… possibly not.
I like LEDs
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Here's he short answer for you:
"Wheel marks are a concentrated area of hairlines that are caused by the rubber wheels in coin counting machines"
Sometimes, they can be very difficult to locate/see. So a coin with a wheel mark might need to be tilted and rotated just right under good light, in order to see it.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
I’m an Ott light guy, all the way!
Having fun while switching things up and focusing on a next level PCGS slabbed 1950+ type set, while still looking for great examples for the 7070.
Ok.
What is your opinion of overhead LED cam lights - the ones put into new homes
Always preferred 100 watt
I have a halogen on my desk to the left of me (and I travel with one to shows), and an OTT-LITE to the right for looking at coins with color.
I use a 60W REVEAL Bulb, 100 Watters are too harsh and HOT. We use to use a 100watter under our work desks at work when our
Dept. of Navy employer ran our office freezing cold. ( electric heaters were not allowed). Hologen makes a coin Look real bad. especially proofs. Turns you off on an otherwise nice coin.
plus very bright and harsh on eyes as light reflected back into EYE. I have had several of them with frosted glass filters no less. They can cause cataracts if used a lot. irritated/ strained my eyes. I sold both.
fluorescent shows wear better. Like an OTT light.
Educate me, please.
What is an OTT light?
Like this
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I use an Ottlite for grading, myself. But it's not an easy light to grade with. I occasionally will switch to a second light I keep on my desk, an unfiltered LED, for grading tougher coins. But 99% of the time, I use the ottlite.
"It's like God, Family, Country, except Sticker, Plastic, Coin."
OTT lights are small, portable florescent lights. Florescent light (coupled with a stereo microscope) is THE ONLY CORRECT LIGHT TO USE FOR COIN AUTHENTICATION OR EXAMINING THE SURFACE OF METAL. This allows the examiner to also see hairlines and marks that are MORE EASILY SEEN with other types of light sources. The ideal setup is to use BOTH sources. THE TPGS discourage florescent light because "a trace of wear" is easily seen as a change of color.
In grading class, I tell the students the story of a famous dealer coming to my table to show me the "Gem" he just bought. In two seconds, I saw the coin was a flawless AU! I had him look at his coin under my scope set at 7X and after this experience he went out that night and bought an OTT light to use the next day at the show. These lights are good for the road; but I use a two bulb jeweler's lamp at the office. You must cut a crescent into the shade so the barrel of the scope can be more perpendicular to the light. Florescent light removes the glare from the coin's surface and high points.
PS I'll bet 95% of the folks who say not to use it for grading NEVER HAVE tried it. You will still need to keep your incandescent light as florescent is only useful for detecting rub without a scope.
I never thought about using a different light source. I will try it and see what it does for me. Thanks foe information.
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Light sources are literally the most important part of grading. Just fwiw.
"It's like God, Family, Country, except Sticker, Plastic, Coin."
Tipping and rotating the coin at the same time (moving it into several orientations to the light source) is almost as important. I think JP Martin
came up with the expression "make the coin "light dynamic."
Any specific recommendations for for sale lights on Amazon or ebay would be appreciated with links. The terms for types of light and abbreviations are hard to process.
I don’t like halogen lights for grading. I grew up with incandescent lights and learned grade with them. Halogen is way too bright.