microscopes

[aballein]

so after my wedding April 7th i am gonna be hunting down a microscope to buy that i can look at lincolns with. I really need some ideas as to what kind would be the most efficient for about $150.00(DO NOT TELL MY FIANCE). I dont need the baddest or most awesome scope out there, just one that will let me take a closer look at all these lincolns. I have such a hard time identifying 2006 DDO varieties that i want to pull my hair out so i think its time to upgrade from my crappy monocle with the 5x zoom. I cant hardly see die scratches, dots, etc... I guess i need some sort of radio type scope with lighting on it. Any ideas and suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[Steven]

Try looking in the photography section on the index page. Here's one of the threads.

http://www.coppercoins.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=619

[Bob P]

There is a place called the Microscope Depot that has some nice scopes, and sometimes has some nicely discounted items as well. Check them out at the following link:


http://www.microscope-depot.com/?eid=16&aid=14&gclid=CP7bl7Pg7YoCFQi9VAodjkrFpQ

[aballein]

awesome, thanks for the info fellas

[coop]

Keep in mind these scopes have terrible lighting and you will need a little more for a budget for lighting, but get the scope first, then go from there. Being able to see die scratches is nice, but keep this in mind: Die scratches come and go, so if the coin is in the same die state, the scratches may have flattened into the field. You could still have the right die, but some markers may be missing. Die cracks progress to worse into die chips and breaks. A nice strong die gouge on the die is helpful. But keep in mind the die is ageing. In EDS the coins may appear different than VLDS as far as markers. But some remain for a time. So although markers help identify a die state, they may not be present on all coins struck from that die. I don't want to down hearten you, but I wanted to give you a heads up to know why some markers may not be present on all coins.