Portable light at shows

krueger

Does anyone use or has seen someone using a portable light for viewing coins at a coin show, where lighting is bad
and dealers are spotty with having table lights. On rare occasions I have used a small multi LED flashlight (great for banknote viewing).
I have read some experts say take your own light to be consistent in the viewing/grading of the coins you are examining.
Some like to use small tensor lamps apparently.
This could be a hassle with plugging in at each table.

Anyone seen this before?

Krueger

LindeDad

I would think that a dealers table that did not have a light available for viewing the coins would be very easy to get too as it would have a lot less traffic.
In other words why worry about viewing where there is bad lighting.

Type2

I use this one all of the time. So I dont pass on any good pickings.

RWB

Neat magnifier light.

Maybe you want one of those miner's head lamps.

Staircoins

Some of the newer loupes have both LED and UV lights (useful for detecting puttied gold).

I am considering trying this one ...

RWB

Add a camera and you could have a "Cam-a-Loupe" (Registered copyright of the Loupe De Loop Corp.)

messydesk

<< <i>Maybe you want one of those miner's head lamps. >>


I've seen variations of those that include magnification goggles in use at shows.

crypto79

A LED flash light is great for coins. You must use a consistent light source to be a consistent grader, I use the same light ever time. It seems to me that coin show lights are magic and bring out luster that doesn't show up anywhere else.

pruebas

In case anyone is looking for a small, quality LED flashlight that is made in the USA, check out Arc Flashlight.
They even make a UV model which may be useful for checking banknotes.

MrEureka

I bought one of these small LED lamps. It's small, light, and battery operated, which is very useful for coin shows, especially when traveling overseas. And it's dirt cheap.

The bad part is that it's an LED, which I find to be too harsh on coins, and it wipes out much of the color. But you will see everything wrong with the coin under this light.

I'm still looking for a satisfactory small battery operated incandescent or halogen lamp...

kranky

There's a local dealer who uses a halogen flashlight like this one when walking the floor.

PerryHall

<< <i>There's a local dealer who uses a halogen flashlight like this one when walking the floor.

>>



You need three hands---one to hold the coin, one to hold the loupe, and one to hold the light.

kranky

The way I've seen him use it is to shine it down on the case from about two feet up, holding it close to his head - so he is looking straight down on the coin and the light is aimed straight down as well. If he wants to look at something closer, he holds the coin in one hand and plays the light on it with the other. If still interested, then he uses the loupe without the light.

Type2

<< <i>Add a camera and you could have a "Cam-a-Loupe" (Registered copyright of the Loupe De Loop Corp.) >>

MrEureka

This showed up in my e-mail today:

Flashlight Deal

Broadstruck

<< <i>Maybe you want one of those miner's head lamps. >>

yellowkid

I really enjoy my headlamp, I don't worry about dealers lights, or lack thereof, and I can go to the bathroom at night without distrubing my wife.

dbldie55

My dealer brings a lamp with him as he travels the bourse.

MajorDuty

While many people think you look funny wearing one, head lamps are indispensable tools in my opinion. Whether you're working on your car, rummaging through a dark corner of your garage, camping, fishing, rock climbing, dealing with some outside-the-house-at-night-emergency, bicycling, power outages or nearly anything that requires light for that matter, a head beam is the perfect solution. Light where you look and no hands required.

How often do you see people put a flashlight under their arm or in their teeth or prop it up against something to shine light on their target? However, I like the LED equipped loupes posted in this thread for coin show browsing. Everything else gets the head lamp.