Blacklight has what effect on detecting coin issues?

nwcs

I saw someone mention a blacklight at a dealer table. I'm familiar with a point source halogen light for detecting marks, but what does a blacklight get you?

dorkkarl

i;ll give you 4 hints (1) look at some plugged coins under the light (2) check out what the thumbed areas of a coin look like (3) examine coins w/ a-t & (4) check out a puttied gold coin under the light

finally, compare to what normal, un-altered coins look like

that's just for starters. wait'll you start looking at paper money ...

good luck!

K S

nwcs

What will AT look like in blacklight? Do they come in handheld models?

paigowjohnny

Good insight...I knew black light was of value to stamp and other paper type collectors, but not coins...thanks.

dorkkarl

nwcs, there is no definitive answer, which is why i avoiding saying something definite, like "look for a reddish hue". suggestion: start w/ a known, such as innocent pocket change, etc, get to know what it looks like under the light (which will be pretty boring - it just looks black). now, go crazy & alter some coins! apply crayons, dip em in toilet water, burn some atop the stove, cake some in silly putty, whatever you can think of. scratch em up, dribble some solder on em, try shoe polish. 1 note - be sure you experiment w/ silver coins too.

there is no definite answer, & i doubt there are any books out there. it is just an exercise that will prove useful to you, so take notes, & enjoy the education.

& yes, avaialble in hand-held models. look in a typical hobby store, the kind that sells model airplane parts & poster boards & stuff.

K S

nwcs

Well, from all the forensics things I've seen, I know that the blacklight reacts in interesting ways to make things stand out. It'd be interesting to see how it'll make coins look. Maybe I can dump experimental pieces on ebay and label it an "unsearched coin hoard, cheap!!! VG-AU quality"

Neil