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30x loupe? (Highest power hand magnifier we use?)
lsica
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So I picked up a real 30x loupe. Not a super expensive one, so the optics aren't fantastic. The usable area is small, and the required focus distance is sooooo small you can't even focus on a coin in a slab. Still it is kind of fun to be able to actually count flow lines on a coin 😉 But this brings up a question...what's the highest hand held magnifier we use here (before we decide "welp time to break out the coin mictoscope")
Philately will get you nowhere....
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I'll stick with the microscope and the 10x loupe , that just me.
Ps get a 20x ifin you wanna see better, jmo)
Ya got one of those too. Much more practical than the 30x
I have a 60x
It's a tough one to learn to look through, focus area is very small. I don't use it very much.
I have a 30x somewhere and I remember it being hard on the eye.
Highest for me is a 20x. It’s good to zero in on variety details. Mostly though, a 10x.
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Picture?
I'm not able to take a picture through the loupe to show how strong it is.
My highest is a 40x. It was pretty cheap, i believe around $30. I haven't gotten into nice Loupes yet. Do you guys think it's worth it to upgrade?
There is little need to have something stronger than a 40x.
5X B&L is all I need.
Why the heck do you need anything more?
Is this smaller than a dime?
No. it's the same size as a normal loupe.
Edited to add photo:
You can't trust many of the magnification designations shown on these loupes especially if they are imported from China. I've seen some marked 30X that are comparable to the brand name loupes (Zeiss, Eschenbach, B&L, etc.) marked 10X. Also, too much magnification is not good since as magnification increases, the field of view decreases. For grading, 5X or 7X is about right. For authentication, a quality 10X triplet loupe with a good light source is more than adequate for the vast majority of coins.
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Though there have been a few times a higher magnification might have been nice, I only use a 7x and a 10x and get by quite well. 7x for grading anfd 10x for varieties etc.
I feel like everything looks bad at 30x … unless you’re really into very subtle varieties/overdates.
Kills your eyes and only needed for those VAMS like @SeattleSlammer noted above. FOV is too small.
I have a scope at home and a 20x and 10 x in my coin show bag. I mostly use the 10x along with an old 3x I've used for many years.
Use the loupe that provides the greatest level of confidence in the coin you are considering… it is your collection and you need to be satisfied. Just have reasonable expectations as the look of the coin under 20x or 30x or whatever loupe you choose.
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I've got 5X and 10X loupes, never needed anything more powerful.
I use no loop most of the time. If I need to because I am on the fence about a mark I see with the naked eye, then I use a 3X or a 5X loop. Anything more than that, I would never buy any coins.
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Edited for grammar.
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I collect loupes and have all the ones below.
These I recommend.
3x4x=7x Bausch and lomb. Nice large lenses. No longer made but still on many B&M shelves or walls .
7x B&L, 5X Eschenbach ( used by many PCGS graders).
3x6x=9x Zeiss or Eschenback very popular loupes. All in one, both high quality. The modern version of this Zeiss
Is used by NGC graders. They wear them on lanyards at shows.
Both are more expensive then those mentioned in the first two lines above
For a 10x loupe get a hastings triplet ( this is a manufacture method not a vendors name).
B&l makes a good one, , but a small lens. Vigor 10x, 20.5mm triplet lens is very good! Their smaller lens version was used by J.T. Stanton cherrypickers author for varieties.
Bolomo makes a 10x triplet which is quite good and is reasonably priced.
If you use a 20x to view varieties as the show Table "PCGS Expert " does make sure it has a triplet lens.
Triplets are clearer and brighter when viewing.
Also acromatics lens are better on color, aplanatics have flater fields meaning less distortion around the edges.
I have never noticed the improvement in color on an acromatic. Hard to tell .
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Ya figured most people would consider REAL 30x fairly useless (I figure the people who need to look at stuff like die markers have invested in a coin microscope). I actually get a decent amount of use out both my 10x and 20x. And @PerryHall there does seem to be about 3X discrepancy (10x vs "30x"/20x vs "60x") between cheap "loops" (yes I've seen that spelling on listings) and decent ones.