What is a good coin microscope, compatible to a Windows/Pc Wi-Fi or Bluetooth 2 2

[CREDTO51]

I can see my posts need better images. So I’m in the market now for a coin microscope. Thanks Tom 

[cobymordet]

I would not recommend getting a microscope for taking pictures of coins.  I use a scanner and a Samsung Galaxy 9+.  Some other options would be an actual digital camera, Iphones have good cameras.  The fun part is lighting, that will take some effort. 

Below is a couple of previous threads regarding your concern:

 

 

 

[VKurtB]

On 11/7/2023 at 6:40 AM, CREDTO51 said:

I can see my posts need better images. So I’m in the market now for a coin microscope. Thanks Tom 

Whatever you do, DO NOT GET A DIGITAL MICROSCOPE that attaches to your computer. Just DON'T. Check Amscope for their low power scopes with a camera tube.

[powermad5000]

I would say most things that arise on coins does not need a scope. A cell phone camera (the newer the phone, the better the camera) and proper lighting is sufficient for most things. A 10X magnifying glass or loupe is also sufficient to answer most questions of things being investigated.

If you are hell bent on getting a scope, I would advise that you use it reasonably. What I mean by that is we have had some people come on the forums here and they are posting all these pics of coins under the scope because they "see" something, and it turns out to be something insignificant, a scratch, or a die chip, or a plating bubble on a Lincoln cent. All I am saying is don't scope every coin you have and go down that rabbit hole, because you will see things with the scope that are not even factors in the grading process.

[EagleRJO]

On 11/7/2023 at 7:40 AM, CREDTO51 said:

I can see my posts need better images. So I’m in the market now for a coin microscope.

I would only consider a scope if you are also going to use it for things like identifying die indicators for varieties and authentications.  Otherwise a phone camera should work fine.

Most phones these days have decent digital cameras that you just have to practice with and use properly, like resting your hand on something to steady the phone and keeping the phone close to the coin so the auto focus is only picking up on the coin.  And the lighting is very important.  For a deeper dive see the following articles on coin photography and tools ... 

https://coinimaging.com/photography.html

https://www.pcgs.com/news/tools-of-a-professional-coin-grader

Edited November 10, 2023 by EagleRJO

[The Neophyte Numismatist]

I have a very nice AMScope binocular microscope with a built-in digital camera.  It's awesome.  I rarely use it (I mean almost never).  If I cannot see it with my loupe, it doesn't matter.  I would not recommend a microscope, because seeing things at super high magnifications may have you chasing errors that are not there.  In some cases microscopes do more harm than good. 

I do have a very nice Eschenbach (4X+6X) loupe that I love and use everyday.  I would highly recommend buying a nice loupe (5-10X for grading). 

[Coinbuf]

Microscopes are great tools for laboratories and for highly trained specialist numismatist that are doing research on very obscure varieties.   They are really worthless for 99.99% of anything coin related, all that will do is have you climbing down rabbit holes, total waste of money.

Any decent cell phone or digital point and shoot can take a decent enough image for most coin purposes, coin photos are 98% about the lighting and 2% the equipment.   The exception to this is if you are trying to use a 1920 brownie camera, that might not be so hot.

[dprince1138]

I use my iphone (android), which seems to do very well for high magnification images.

As far as coin inspection, I really like the jarlink jewelers loop (30x, 60x) that I had purchased from Amazon.  The order came with a second set of lens, but It does not seem to be as effective.  I use the higher magnification for identifieng die conditions, which can be extremely small and difficult to see.

I have a 10x led light magnifier that seems to do well for inititial inspection.  I bought cheap in the old people's department at walmart.

 

[Hoghead515]

I bought one when I first started collecting. I ended up throwing it away while back. It was a cheap one and I lost the charger. I ended up buying a nice loupe to replace it. Ill never own another. They are garbage for my collecting needs. 

[TheColoradoNumismatist]

Hey there!

So, one of my topics was tagged in this thread. But I think before we or I can even start making recommendations, what is it you're actually trying to achieve? 

Once I know what that is I can make a few recommendations.

So let us know! Look forward to hearing from you soon! 

Happy Hunting ~ TheColoradoNumismatist

[Halbrook Family]

As far as a loupe goes what would be good enough to see a error on a coin? 10X 20X? D over S and the like. 

[J P M]

On 11/9/2023 at 6:10 PM, edhalbrook said:

As far as a loupe goes what would be good enough to see a error on a coin? 10X 20X? D over S and the like. 

Yes a loupe is what most people use. I do and I only use a USB scope to go through coins quickly when roll hunting. When you get a bit older it is quicker seeing a coin the size of a baseball. 

[Hoghead515]

My loupe is probably a bit much for most serious collectors. Its has 3 holes. A 30x, 60x, and 90x. The 30x is the biggest spot. I use it the most. I hardly ever use the 60x. Its a small hole near the bottom. Only time Ive ever used it was for close ups of the mint marks.  Ive never used the 90x spot. Some may say the 30x is more than you need and it really may be but, I really like it. I use it for other things around the house also and its great for viewing coins. 

[powermad5000]

As for the loupe @edhalbrook, I use a 10X. I think there is not much reason to go beyond that as it could send you down a rabbit hole of seeing things that are too insignificant to mean anything as far as grading is concerned. I will say, however, that I don't see anything "wrong" with using a 20X or 30X an it is a matter of personal preference and what works best for you when viewing coins. All of us have different eyes, some better than others, and I can imagine myself in another couple decades if I live that long probably needing a 20X or 30X because my eyes continue getting worse, or worse develop the macular degeneration that seems prolific in my family. I have had glasses since I was 7 and bifocals since I was 10. My astigmatism is bad but so far even with age, I am able to spot a good coin thankfully.

[dprince1138]

Some clues for a die variety truly need a 60x or above.  Including DDs.  Some DDs occur on structues, such as the fine lines on a shield or liberty's drapes.  Also, on die varieties, in general, there are many very small clues.  You may want to look at my coin die thread.

 

 

 

Edited November 11, 2023 by dprince1138

[EagleRJO]

On 11/9/2023 at 6:10 PM, edhalbrook said:

As far as a loupe goes what would be good enough to see a error on a coin? 10X 20X? D over S and the like. 

The consensus generally is that 10x is the max for error and variety identification and grading, and I think the TPGs use less.  While many use a 10x loupe, I prefer a 10x magnifying glass with LED lights, which I can set up like a stand to quickly go through coins while roll hunting.  I am on my second one it gets so much use, and couldn't imagine going back to the 10x loupe I was using before.

Plus with errors, collectors like to be able to see the error even without magnification, and if you need a scope to see the error it's likely not worth much if at all.  I also think using scopes leads many newer error hunters astray.

I do have a 40x loupe and a scope I use for counterfeit detection and variety attribution, which I think is really the only legitimate uses for that level of magnification.  Even then it is more for confirmation or markers, and not for identifying the error or variety.  For more info on coin collecting tools see the following article ... https://www.pcgs.com/news/tools-of-a-professional-coin-grader

Edited November 11, 2023 by EagleRJO

[Sandon]

On 11/10/2023 at 3:56 PM, dprince1138 said:

Some clues for a die variety truly need a 60x or above.

   Then why does NGC have this policy? "With few exceptions, NGC will not attribute die varieties that require greater than 5x magnification to be clearly recognizable." What is a Variety? | NGC (ngccoin.com). Similarly, the recently published Volume 2, Sixth Edition of the Cherrypickers Guide to Rare Die Varieties states as a "helpful hint" at p. 27, "If you can't discern a variety with a 7x loupe, it probably isn't significant enough to earn the attention of other collectors."

  I like to look at coins at 10x myself and occasionally check details at 15x but have never found anything stronger to be necessary. We're looking at coins, after all, not microorganisms! 

[dprince1138]

Also, as mentioned ad nauseum, other than unique errors, such as an off strike or a planchet crack, an error is generally associated with a particular die issue (variety).  The vast majority of die varieties are listed here;

United States Categories | VarietyPlus® | NGC

Edited November 11, 2023 by dprince1138

[Sandon]

On 11/10/2023 at 8:46 PM, dprince1138 said:

an error is generally associated with a particular die issue (variety). 

    According to whom, other than @dprince1138?  Most numismatic authorities classify errors as individual coins that were improperly manufactured and die varieties as multiple coins produced by specific dies showing characteristics specific to those dies. See Variety vs. Mint Error | NGC (ngccoin.com).

On 11/10/2023 at 8:46 PM, dprince1138 said:

The vast majority of die varieties are listed here;

United States Categories | VarietyPlus® | NGC

  Actually, VarietyPlus only lists varieties that NGC finds distinctive and/or popular enough to attribute. There are many varieties, including some VAM Morgan and Peace dollar varieties and minor doubled dies and other varieties listed on such sites as doubleddie.com and varietyvista.com that are not included in VarietyPlus and will not be attributed by NGC. See the previously linked article.  Some of the lesser varieties may be attributed by other services such as ANACS.

[dprince1138]

[J P M]

On 11/11/2023 at 12:20 AM, dprince1138 said:

Again ,, dprince is adding comments unrelated to the original post. Not cool at all. Very disrespectful. Please stop .

[CREDTO51]

@Sandon could you direct me to the grading & procedure policy for NGC . No use using my x10 if they don’t. Thanks Tom 

[EagleRJO]

On 11/11/2023 at 10:27 AM, CREDTO51 said:

No use using my x10 if they don’t

I don't see any reason to ditch the 10x most collectors use simply because professional coin graders, who need less magnification to see certain things and prefer to see the whole coin with a loupe for speed, use a lower level of magnification.  And if you get that good you would see more imperfections so it would be grading conservatively. 

And one of the reasons I use a mag glass is that looking at larger coins like silver dollars at 10x I can still see the whole coin.

https://www.ngccoin.com/coin-grading/grading-process/ngc-grading-process.aspx

https://www.pcgs.com/news/tools-of-a-professional-coin-grader

https://www.ngccoin.com/news/article/1036/high-magnification/

[Sandon]

On 11/11/2023 at 10:27 AM, CREDTO51 said:

could you direct me to the grading & procedure policy for NGC . No use using my x10 if they don’t.

    The only article I could find on the NGC website that specifically deals with magnification is NGC: Higher Powers of Magnification | NGC (ngccoin.com), which indicates that 10x or higher should only be used for authentication, not grading or identifying varieties. Also see NGC Coin Grading Scale | About Coin Grades | NGC, which specifically states that to grade "70" a coin need only show "no post-production imperfections at 5x magnification."  For an overview of the grading process, see Coin Grading Certification Process | NGC (ngccoin.com).  

   There is no reason you can't view coins at higher magnifications if you prefer. As I stated, I usually use a 10x hand loupe and occasionally go up to 15x.  Tiny features like over-mintmarks are sometimes photographed at higher powers, and I'll confess to having looked at them at 40x on an old-fashioned optical microscope. Generally, however, if you use more than 10x to evaluate a coin, you truly "can't see the forest for the trees."

[powermad5000]

On 11/11/2023 at 9:27 AM, CREDTO51 said:

No use using my x10 if they don’t.

I wouldn't stop using 10X. I use 10X as stated above. I find it useful for both my self grading and variety attributing without it being too "strong" and making me go down the rabbit hole of finding things that are not ever going to be a factor in either grade or variety.

[powermad5000]

On 11/10/2023 at 7:46 PM, dprince1138 said:

Also, as mentioned ad nauseum, other than unique errors, such as an off strike or a planchet crack, an error is generally associated with a particular die issue (variety).  The vast majority of die varieties are listed here;

What I find beyond ad nauseum is your lack of facing direct questioning with an answer and also providing false information to those seeking help on this platform. I have a news flash for you and this is a perfect example. You did not rewrite the rules of numismatics. Please go to some other forum or platform if you want to post false information. Since lately you are directing people on here to the wasteland of coin videos on YouTube, why not just go there and post your stuff in videos? Wherever it is, stop doing it here.

[EagleRJO]

On 11/11/2023 at 6:11 PM, dprince1138 said:

Generally, I follow this guide.

Sheldon coin grading scale - Wikipedia

On a topic about scopes and loupes, with a link to his garbage coin topic. 

[dprince1138]

https://www.ngccoin.com/coin-grading/grading-process/ngc-grading-process.aspx#:~:text=NGC defines a Mint State,buying and selling of coins.

[dprince1138]

The various examples of die variety clues indicate that a good degree of magnification is extremely useful when identifying die varieties.

Edited November 12, 2023 by dprince1138