I am getting a new loupe. I used to use a 40x loupe and it worked great. But I was wondering if I should get a stronger one. You can get some on ebay that are 45x or 60x. I am looking at the 60x one but is that too strong for coins. What are you suggestions and what kind of loupe do you use and how well does it work.
To be honest I use the naked eye as much as possible! But I do have a loupe (I'll check the magnification)! It helps with small and difficult to discern mint marks. I also have some magnifying glasses...handheld detective's tool not spectacles! The bigger the magnification the better, I suppose!
My issue with stuff like loupes is that buying one has an opportunity cost-- it means less money spent on coins! But if it does help you see coins better it could ultimately save you money or get you better deals.
Thanks guys, I try to use my eye as much as I can. But sometimes with those mint marks it can be difficult. I will let you know what I decide on. Any more ideas are still welcome.
Put it this way, one of my Gibraltar 20 p coins is AD, I found that by checking with my loupe having previously considered it AB..
If I hadn't of checked nobody would have known.. There is no record of die AD being used either in any catalogues I can find. So worth while in my opinion !
I also got a 20 pence the other day with an AD mintmark. Mine is 1982 Isle of Man.
And I do not need an eye loupe as I have a digital microscope !
It is just 'plug and play' and connects to a USB cable; then I click on My Computer icon and then USB Video Device icon, and images appear on the computer screen. Just click on top of the microscope and it saves what it sees; there is an adjusting ring around the top for the focus, and a button for the built-in L.E.D. lights. It is plastic and only 10cm tall. I think most computer shops sell them and are fairly cheap.
I think 40 or 50 is fine if you get a to powerful loupe you will start picking up scratches which cant be seen by the naked eye and this will distract you. My favorite tool for seeing tiny details on coins is my camera. I take photos then zoom in on my pc screen.
