Scanning coins

drainbamage · October 8, 2003 10:16AM

I have an ANCIENT Microtek Scanmaker E3 Plus.... The This is heavy as my computer is and was built back in the early 90's I guess. But while other scanners just cannot handle scanning a slab the way I like it to, this old thing grinds along and pulls out some amazing detail. The most common problem that the new ones have is that they cannot handle proof coins and that nice mirror surface.

Now after all these years, I begin to hear my scanner squeak and grind in ways it never has before. It almost sounds like rust is inside it. The local computer store will not touch it with a 10 foot pole. The one that sold it to me is out of business. I need it for my auctions or spend hundreds on another to get quality like it.

It has been with me since the days of Windows 95. Would you trash it? Would you try to contact the company? This thing is the heart and soul of how I operate.

Open to all suggestions of any kind here.

Outhaul · October 8, 2003 10:19AM

Every scanner I've tried scans holdered coins out of focus!

Cheers,

Bob

coppercoins · October 8, 2003 10:22AM

The very unfortunate answer here is the one you don't want to hear...scanners are built to be disposable, and it sounds like you got some good years out of it. For coins, scanners have never been the "right" tool - they might work okay, but they are not as good as digital cameras at pulling the detail, luster, and color off a coin. My suggestion would be to use the scanner until it busts completely, then go to the camera store planning to spend $300 to get a decent digital. I would recommend you shop around and take your pocket change out and play with it on the counter at the store. I have never seen a place that sells digital cameras and stands behind their products that won't stick a battery in their display model and let you play with it before buying.

drainbamage · October 8, 2003 10:23AM

That is why I love this one.... the coin is in focus.....

PFgold · October 8, 2003 10:28AM

If the warranty is over you're probably out of luck. The manufacturer can probably recommend a company that's authorized to do repairs but that often costs more than replacement would.

I would recommend buying new if you cannot find someone to fix it for a reasonable price... JZ

lordmarcovan · October 8, 2003 10:29AM

I know exactly what you mean. I have a big Memorex that is at least six years old, and it'll scan a coin in a slab, a coin half an inch above the glass, at an angle, with the lid, without the lid, etcetera. But it's not USB compatible and it's quirky and it's too bulky to tote around.

By contrast, the slimmer Canon I bought last year for its portability (fits in my briefcase so I can carry it with the laptop) will not focus on anything that is not directly touching the glass. You can forget about slabbed coins because just that little separation caused by the clear plastic between the coin and the glass makes it go out of focus and look like it was taken through a lens smeared with butter.

What I am wondering is if the depth of the box affects the focal field or whatever it's called?

Old Memorex with deep box = nice scans with great color

New Canon with shallow box = washed out looking, but adequate scans, unless the subject is not touching the glass, in which case you might as well forget about it.

I guess it is time for me to make the technological leap to a digital camera, but I am a completely helpless babe in the woods when it comes to that. I have a digital but it cannot do macro shots. I don't know any of the terminology, and I don't wanna drop $300-400+ on a camera and all the equipment until I know how it's gonna perform.

Catch-22.

Don't wanna buy camera until I know more, can't learn more unless I buy camera.

airplanenut · October 8, 2003 10:30AM

Have you checked ebay to see if there are any used ones up that still clunk along just fine?

Bulldog · October 8, 2003 10:44AM

Sometimes, you just have to let go!

drainbamage · October 8, 2003 11:04AM

ok... you guys tell me to let go.... I just made her scream and squeal and did no adjusting at all for anything..... WITH NOTHING DONE AND THE DARLING ON HER LAST LEG THIS IS WHAT I GOT.

I mean I could adjust and do better on the lighting and detail but all i did was throw it in and run.

lordmarcovan · October 8, 2003 11:07AM

Want my old Memorex? It still works fine, or did, the last time I used it a month or two ago. When I said it was "quirky" I didn't mean there was anything wrong with the scanner itself- it was the software that clashed. I tried to install both my scanners on the same computer, and that didn't go over so well.

I got better results with the Memorex but need the portability of the Canon. I guess what I really need to do is bite the bullet and make the leap to a camera, though that is both a financial and a technological leap for me, and I worry about the learning curve.

Speaking of proofs, I captured these with the old Memorex, and didn't even need to tweak the brightness or the color, or anything. Just cropped 'em down to size. The Indian looks out-of-round because I had to scan it an angle to catch the colors. (I know, I post that picture all the time, and it isn't so great compared to what other folks can do with their cameras, but I thought some of my shots were not bad at all, for a scanner...)

lordmarcovan · October 8, 2003 11:10AM

Maybe there's just crap in the tracks of yours? If you could get the glass off and put some oil in there, maybe?

(This could be a totally stupid suggestion, but...) ?

drainbamage · October 8, 2003 11:49PM

I don't know.... but I am way nervous about taking that little bottle of mineral oil and greasing her up inside.... I fear she will die totally.....

Barry · October 9, 2003 12:04AM

Amazing it works with your OS, or are you still running Win95?
My Visioneer was designed for Win98, and I had a helluva time getting it to work with XP. These companies just don't update drivers on older equipment. There's no profit in it for them.

Get a digital camera. It's the only way to go, these days.

CarlWohlforth · October 9, 2003 12:07AM

I bought a scanner about 2 years ago. All the sleek, very short ones would not focus properly on slabs. I bought and returned 5 sanners before I found one that was good for coins. I do believe the focal length is too short to be useful for coins on them. I ended up with a taller HP ScanJet. It was cheap.

Anyway I moved on to a used, cheap, digital camera. Now I am ready to buy a Nikon CoolPix 4500 when I can find a cheap used one in great shape

ANACONDA · October 9, 2003 12:20AM

My scanner is my HP ScanJet 6300C. I have two others but neither of them produces the quality that the 6300C produces.

As far as getting your old scanner fixed, I would look to buy one just like it rather than get the old one fixed. Many scanners arrive to the present moment having been used far less than they could have been - you might be able to get a used one on eBay or at a local store.

adrian

drainbamage · October 9, 2003 1:21AM

<< <i>Amazing it works with your OS, or are you still running Win95?
My Visioneer was designed for Win98, and I had a helluva time getting it to work with XP. These companies just don't update drivers on older equipment. There's no profit in it for them.

Get a digital camera. It's the only way to go, these days. >>

I run windows XP professional..... my company still sticks with it......

I just took my whole scanner apart and put it back to gether...... man was i ever nervous

BillF · October 9, 2003 1:34AM

Here at work I have an Epson Perfection 1250. As you can tell from another thread I have on here, it sucks at scanning coins. Scanning pictures and stuff is great, but coins? No way.

Perhaps we ought to petition a scanner company that there's a market for coin scanners!

Morganluver · October 9, 2003 1:52AM

Adrian is correct, IMO. I have an older HP Scanjet 5300C and in fact, this one is a used replacement for my last one (same model) that died. I paid $50 for it and it does the best job of any of the other make scanners I've tried. I even tried the newer HP model, the 7400C or something like that and it didn't do nearly as good a job (at least for my purposes) as this old one. I believe I got it at the HP site that often lists re-furbished ones. Sometimes older IS better.

drainbamage · October 9, 2003 2:07AM

I think the older ones just scanned the picture without getting fancy about it.

Outhaul · October 9, 2003 2:17AM

<< <i>WITH NOTHING DONE AND THE DARLING ON HER LAST LEG THIS IS WHAT I GOT >>

What are you talking about? The obverse is all twisted, distorted, and downright ugly!

Oh, wait...I see now, it a SuzieB.

Cheers,

Bob

Scanning coins

Comments

Leave a Comment