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Magnifying for coin identification.
- Thread starter parfind
- Start date
Search for a Jeweler's Loupe on Amazon. You can pick up a 30X for about $5. Handheld magnifying glasses (like you burned bugs with as a kid) don't normally come over 10X because they get heavy.
I've found that a lot of times it's the fact that the color is the same between the coin "background" and the barely raised date. If you put a piece of scotch tape on it ...it will stick only to the raised part and that makes it easier to find out what you have.
I've found that a lot of times it's the fact that the color is the same between the coin "background" and the barely raised date. If you put a piece of scotch tape on it ...it will stick only to the raised part and that makes it easier to find out what you have.
GRAY GHOST
New member
hi parfind. it's an age old problem.... reading dates on some of the coins we find, especially the coppers and bronzes. fertilizers, alkaline soils, and time all take their individual tolls on nearly all metals. when you add acid rain and airborne chemicals to the equation, things get even worse. silver and gold coins seem to be pretty much immune, except in high salt seas. a thick, crusty, hard, green substance [not the patina] called verdigris will form on the bad case coins, and is hard to remove. once natural corrosion or normal wear sets in, there's little you can do - we can't replace lost metal to a coin's surface. BUT.... i do happen to have some slick tips and tricks to share with ya'll. maybe you'll have some too.
always try to read the features of a coin under a regular light bulb. fluorescent lights just aren't much good. the light wavelengths are almost total opposites. you can choose to soak your coins for a day or two in olive oil, then fine brass brush or use fine brillo pad [000] in stages. don't try to do it all at once; remember, it took many years to build the layers of crud on the coin underground, and it takes some time to get it all off without ruining the coin. proper lighting used in conjunction with the sheen of the olive oil sometimes helps. one complements the other. move the coin in different angles to cast shadows across the high points of the coin's surface. i found an old three legged school magnifier at a yard sale for a couple of dollars. it has the small built in light, and is very useful. some coinshops have specialty magnifiers. a full date is nice, but sometimes you'll have to settle for a partial or no date coin. of course, on a partial date coin, the last two numbers and a legible mintmark are the most important anyway!
shop around until you find a magnifier your're comfortable with. most coinshops have the 4x and 10x loupes, which are real good to have. there's nothing worse than trying out a bunch of magnifiers in one day, like i have, and end up with eyestrain and a headache to boot. i hope this helps, and hh!
always try to read the features of a coin under a regular light bulb. fluorescent lights just aren't much good. the light wavelengths are almost total opposites. you can choose to soak your coins for a day or two in olive oil, then fine brass brush or use fine brillo pad [000] in stages. don't try to do it all at once; remember, it took many years to build the layers of crud on the coin underground, and it takes some time to get it all off without ruining the coin. proper lighting used in conjunction with the sheen of the olive oil sometimes helps. one complements the other. move the coin in different angles to cast shadows across the high points of the coin's surface. i found an old three legged school magnifier at a yard sale for a couple of dollars. it has the small built in light, and is very useful. some coinshops have specialty magnifiers. a full date is nice, but sometimes you'll have to settle for a partial or no date coin. of course, on a partial date coin, the last two numbers and a legible mintmark are the most important anyway!
shop around until you find a magnifier your're comfortable with. most coinshops have the 4x and 10x loupes, which are real good to have. there's nothing worse than trying out a bunch of magnifiers in one day, like i have, and end up with eyestrain and a headache to boot. i hope this helps, and hh!
Lizardchaser
New member
n/t
Larry (IL)
Well-known member
I just came from a Harbor Freight store and I looked at some magnifiers. BIG selection and the prices were not bad. Check to see if you have one in your area.
parfind said:
I have trouble also as my eyeballs ain't like they used to be. I give the coins to my wife, she wears glasses, and have her check. Seems like if I give her 40 coins, only a few pennies come back
Actually besides trying lighting at different angles or light paper on it with pencil rub etc, I sometimes use the magnifying things like what watch repair or jewelery repair use. It straps around the head and gives a magnified view with both eye, and another lens flips down over the first to increase the magnification. I don't know what the power(s) are but they are comfortable and allow hands to be free. Great for other hobbies also - electronics, fly tying, gunsmith, or looking face to face at the dog to make her freak out
on-edge said:
That black 2" Bausch and Lomb is the favorite, mid magnification, loop among a huge percentage of coin collector/dealers. Under $10, heavy concave in the grind of the lens, and I've had that thing in my face for three weeks solid! Be good to get a generic 10x or 16x (in addition) for anything that needs a tighter spot check.
http://www.opticsplanet.net/bausch-lomb-packette-magnifier.html