Recommendation for magnifying glass?

GOWYO · December 28, 2011 2:35AM

Im new to coin collecting/home grading and im looking to buy a lighted magnifying lens. What should I be looking for? What power? Desktop or rolling etc... any help would be greatly appreciated!

noow · December 28, 2011 2:36AM

Hello, welcome to the forums

A 5x handheld loupe is the general standard for examining coins.

ricko · December 28, 2011 3:19AM

Welcome aboard... a 3x,6x loupe is what I would recommend and Zeiss glass is the best.. well, if not the best, as good as one other... good glass is important to avoid distortion and get the full benefit of the lens surface. Cheers, RickO

timcoin · December 28, 2011 3:32AM

If your budget allows, and if you are good at not losing things, get yourself a nice Zeiss loupe.

LanceNewmanOCC · December 28, 2011 3:35AM

<< Im new to coin collecting/home grading and im looking to buy a lighted magnifying lens. What should I be looking for? What power? Desktop or rolling etc... any help would be greatly appreciated! >>

do a search via this forum for vast amounts of information and links on this subject

in the year or so i've been here i've noticed a lot of repeat subjects and it is good to revisit a lot of these subjects but please don't discount the amount of

information and debating sitting in the old threads waiting to be called upon
.
i use a zeiss 3x6x9 and the clarity, field width and magnification is great for day to day
.

LindeDad · December 28, 2011 3:41AM

For the beginner I don't recommend a lighted magnifier and to put it bluntly most of the expensive lens are not needed yet.

Brett Kruger has the BL-PM813133 5x Bausch & Lomb Packett Magnifier on sale and is a handy little item that fits the bill for the beginer IMO. Link

Yes if you stay at it and get into finding varitieys and such a better lens will be needed down the line.

291fifth · December 28, 2011 4:06AM

The Eschenbach model 1177 5x is an excellent choice for grading.

Greeniejr · December 28, 2011 4:52AM

The Bausch and Lomb 5X sliding magnifier is the best value and is downright cheap. It has a nice viewing area and decent optics. It is best for most beginners and mid-level collectors as long as you are not messing with varieties. I use a 3+6 Eschenbach for my day to day loop.

NewEnglandRarities · December 28, 2011 9:36AM

I highly recommend the Eschenbach 3x6 if it is an affordable option for you. It offers as much magnification as you would need for grading, looking at surfaces, etc. and the field of vision is fantastic.

Here is a link. Loop 3x6

PerryHall · December 28, 2011 10:00AM

I use the 3X+6X=9X Zeiss model 36D and love it. A bit pricey but I'm worth it.

DoubleEagle59 · December 28, 2011 10:17AM

The most important thing when buying a loupe is make sure it's a good quality 'triplet lense'.

This will ensure there is no chromatic and spherical aberrations.

TexasNationals · December 28, 2011 10:57AM

I agree with my brother Ricko-Zeiss

Broadstruck · December 28, 2011 11:48AM

<< The Eschenbach model 1177 5x is an excellent choice for grading. >>

botanist · December 28, 2011 11:52AM

I recommend getting an Eschenbach 5X handheld magnifier with LED illumination and on-off switch. Great optics. Because it has such a wide field of vision, you can look through the lens at a coin using both eyes, instead of squinting with one eye. Get 5X because that's the magnification usually used by TPG graders. Unfortunately, it'll set you back a C-note. It's only if you're very serious about numismatics. Just for you to recognize what it looks like, here's a link to it on Amazon, but I'm not endorsing any seller. Try to shop around first, you can maybe find it for less.

Link

lkeigwin · December 28, 2011 11:59AM

My two favorites. Not big on lighted ones. These are both Eschenbach.
Lance.

MidLifeCrisis · December 28, 2011 12:07PM

I've picked up several over the years.

IMO, if you are a beginner, it doesn't make much difference. I use the ones I have interchangeably. I do have a Zeiss and it's probably the one I use most.

I think 5X is probably the optimum power...although I do have a 16X that I use when I want to make sure the 55DDO Lincoln I just bought is authentic, or something like that.

If I were you, I'd go to a large show and try out several and see what you like best. People's eyes are different.

mingot · December 28, 2011 12:12PM

<< My two favorites. Not big on lighted ones. These are both Eschenbach.
Lance.

>>

Love this one.

291fifth · December 28, 2011 12:20PM

<< 

<< My two favorites. Not big on lighted ones. These are both Eschenbach.
Lance.

>>

Love this one. >>

That is the model 1177.

Absolution · December 28, 2011 3:12PM

I got a 40x, but I wouldn't reccommend it. The 70s will no longer look good ><

Ordered the Zeiss one

LostSisler · December 28, 2011 4:27PM

I realized after I bought my Eschenbach 5x, that I didn't need a loupe for grading, so I gave it away (!).

I did keep my Esch 8x Triplet for Cherrypicking though.

I've used them all and the build, optics and finish on the Eschenbachs are the best.

LanceNewmanOCC · December 29, 2011 12:00PM

.

LanceNewmanOCC · December 29, 2011 12:00PM

.
don't know what happened with that double post, weird.

i compared my zeiss 3x6x9 and HE harris 16x to a nifty 20x I saw today, and the 20x smokes my 16x.

only reason i didn't buy it on the spot was a friend mentioned seeing a 30x and i wanted to compare it to my 3x6x9 and 16x before committing to the 20x.

i see opportunities approaching...

leothelyon · December 30, 2011 12:39PM

If the 5x doesn't suit you, you can always get a hands-free one.

Peacemonkey · December 30, 2011 12:52PM

<< My two favorites. Not big on lighted ones. These are both Eschenbach.
Lance.

>>

+1 on this. The FOV isnt huge but the optics are super crisp.

DieClash · December 30, 2011 12:53PM

If you're interested in a hand-held portable loupe than by far many of the recommendations here are worthy.

If you're more static and interested in viewing your coins in hand at home then the Dino-Lite Digital Microscope camera is for you!!

pruebas · December 30, 2011 1:14PM

FYI, Zeiss loupes do NOT have glass lenses. They are (high quality) plastic. If you happen to get acetone on it, it's toast.

PerryHall · December 30, 2011 9:19PM

<< FYI, Zeiss loupes do NOT have glass lenses. They are (high quality) plastic. If you happen to get acetone on it, it's toast. >>

Zeiss makes several models of loupes. The higher end models are optical glass that have been coated and they are first rate quality lenses.

homerunhall · December 31, 2011 4:26AM

We use 5 power in the PCGS grading room. To me, you need 5 power to see what you need to see. Anything over 5 power kind of makes you "see too much", if you know what I mean. Some coins, like Morgan dollars, I seem to be able to grade without magnication. The smaller coins should definitely be graded with magnification. That's just my feeling. Different graders have different approaches and some use 6 power, and a few use 10 power.
hrh

Recommendation for magnifying glass?

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