Mini Microscope for coin ID :cam:

[earthmansurfer]

Guys,

I have to say, by far, this is the best (and cheapest) loop I have come across for coins. It has a bright light (if need be) and really helps to make out the details on the coil. It has 45X magnification - I imagine the stronger ones won't work very well so don't go above 45X. Small enough to use in the field but I just use it at home.

You can find them online by searching under "45X mini microscope". I see them mostly shipping out of China but they have them in the States too. Comes with a small case and would be perfect for the field as well as home. Note the pics & in reality the date is crystal clear but hard to take a pic of. Any more magnification (it's at it's minimum which is perfect) is too much.

Albert

 

[SteveP(NH)]

Most coin collectors prefer 6x to 10x magnification and think higher magnification is less useful except in very specific circumstances which are mostly related to finding errors, RPMs or RPDs. In fact if you ever take a ANA grading class they want you to use a 6x loup during the class and also offer really nice 6x Bousch and Lomb loups for sale at cost during these classes. The problem with high magnification than that is that you can only see a tiny portion of the coin at a time and while with a 6x you get enough mag to see the details but also can see all or most of the coin at the same time which you need to do in order to ID it and to grade it.

 

[earthmansurfer]

Steve - I guess I should have mentioned when I use it. I'm in Germany and often find coins several hundred years old. Sometimes the dates are barely readable. If there is any trace of a date, this will see it.

To see the details of the coin overall, I see your point, but wasn't really thinking of it like that and I should have been clear. The camera shot of the year is not what your eye see's though, it sees a bit more but it's still not for looking at a lot of coin!

Thanks,
Albert