Magnification Help!

KlectorKid

How much do u need to magnify a coin to see re-punched dates and such?

Placid

Depend's how good your eye's are.

fcloud

Do you have a particular coin in mind? Maybe you could take a digital photo and enlarge the image.

coinguy1

KK,

Some repunchings, etc, are stronger than others. You can probably see some without any magnification. Others might require a magnifier but a 4 power (or higher) one should do the job.

LanLord

Probably also depends on the type of coin. I have some large cents that you can tell something is squirly with the date with no mag, a little mag and it jumps up in your face.

airplanenut

<< <i>a little mag and it jumps up in your face. >>

A lot of mag and it punches you in the nose

darktone

I usually use a 16x when looking for repunched dates and I use my loupe taped to the end of my camera trick to get some real close ups I can put on the computer screen to study. Like the 1845 $5 repunched date I found a couple days ago. mike

robertpr

I use a gem 30x doublet, which can be had for quite reasonable money on eBay. Linkydoodledandy

stujoe

Darktone, Awesome tip on the camera/loupe combination. Thanks! I had never thought of that or heard that before. I tried it and it works great. Takes a little practice but I was able to get it to work to my satisfaction.

Loupe Pictures

I have never been able to get closeups like that before with my camera. Cool!

darktone

Stujoe, glad I could help. I try to let everyone know about this cheap and easy method of getting close up pictures. Your pictures look really good! mike

coppercoins

Roughly 16X is all anyone should need to see collectible doubling of any sort, whether it be doubled dies, date repunchings, or mint mark varieties.

Lakesammman

What you really need is a good imagination....especially to see those RPD's that have been disproven.

If you need more than 7X, it's not worth paying a premium for the coin, though it still may be collectable to you.

KlectorKid

<< <i>If you need more than 7X, it's not worth paying a premium for the coin >>


Your a copper guy u should know some of the very rarest varieties are so small u woud easily need at least 10x to see them.

BillJones

For me 10X with a high quality Bash & Lomb magnifier works fine, but I am near sighted and can see lot more close up with out a glass than many people can see with a 3 or 5 power. You might also take digital pictures with a camera and put them up on your screen. I've been amazed at how much detail I get from my high resolution computer screen.

bennybravo

16X is great for about anything.I personally like the cheap ANCO Loupes.
LOUPE LINK

coppercoins

Four people to whom I have spoken and are basically "the" industry in die varieties - Ken Potter, John Wexler, Gary Wagnon, and James Wiles all agree that a die variety must be visible in a 16x loupe to be considered collectible and worth a premium....NOT 7x. The standard for photography is 30X to show the details better and to grab enough resolution for the lighting and shadows to work with the subject, but 16X is the standard for searching / hunting for die varieties.

Lakesammman

I'm willing to learn.....name me a IHC/FE variety for instance (worth a premium - a real premium, not a theoretical "in the book" premium) that requires more than 7X.

I mispoke earlier re: magnification - after checking my lenses, I should have said 5X.

If you want to really check them out in great detail, especially for photography, then a microscope is ideal, 10X to 30X. But for discovery and general appreciation, 5X is it.

If you need more than that, it's too subtle for anyone to realy care about much less pay a premium for. The cherry pickers book is full of phrases explaining the interest in most subtle varieties is "low to very low".

KlectorKid

Cherry pickers guide page 94 thats a lincoln And IHC page 51 1965 plain 5 snow-2 mis-placed date

keets

..........i must have read somewhere in the last week or two the reference to 7X, maybe in a book or NN. what seems logical is that anything that can be seen with lower magnification would be more collectible, kinda like a 55 DDO lincoln that i can see with just my eyes!!! i hardly ever use anything past a 6X and i have a few slabbed coins that i bought cheap and on a whim that are designated for doubling/overdate and i really can't "see" it.

al h.

Lakesammman

I don't want to squash anyones enthusiasm for varieties. I think they are great. Just want you to persue them with your eyes open and your pocketbook protected.

The 1865 S2 Plain 5 is a great example. Can be easily seen with 5-7X loupe. Interest is low to very low (Flynn/Steve). Interest is low enough that it's not listed in the variety price guide nor is it included in the Longacres Ledger "How Many Are There" column/table. If you have one, list it on ebay or in a auction and see how little interest there is. It's either so subtle that no one cares or everyone is hoping to "cherrypick it" and not pay a premium for it.

Bottom line - if you can find one for the non-variety price and you like it, buy it. The variety aspect is a bonus and it's fun to think about how such a variety occured.

Regarding the Lincoln, I can't answer that - can you give me a date or the page # in the 3rd edition?

With regard to the original thread, 7X is plenty.

KlectorKid

1911-D choose any of the RPM's but RPM #4 is the hardest to see. 3 of the 4 only have 1 known.