Preparing to Examine Your Rare American Coin Before Purchase
LIGHTING: Different people prefer different types of lighting.
I prefer using a halogen lamp.
I can sometimes see things (hairlines, cleaning, etc.
) on coins under this type of light that I can't see by using other light sources.
Halogen lamps' color rendition is the closest to natural sunlight as artificial lighting gets.
When you're at commercial venues, such as coin shows, auctions or even the local coin dealer, you're sort of stuck with their lighting.
Objects look slightly different under different light sources.
Practice by viewing the same coin under different lighting to notice any differences the lighting makes.
If you really can't get by without a halogen or similar light source, there are portable hand held, halogen light sources.
In my view they are awkward to lug around for coin inspection, but may be just the thing that allows you to make critical judgments about a rare American coin.
MAGNIFICATION: I would urge you to look at the raw coin for several seconds without any magnification, before putting a glass to it.
Get a feel for what the subject rare US coin looks like in its entirety.
Many very expensive rare American coins get graded, bought and sold without the use of magnification.
I only occasionally use a magnifying glass.
The exceptions might be for very small coins like gold Dollars.
I will also resort to magnification in cases where I see something such as a spot or flaw that I want to examine more closely.
When I do use magnification, it is usually a small 5X glass.
When you use a magnifying glass, it's vital that you look at most of the coin and not simply one tiny area in isolation.
Whatever magnification you use, it should allow you to get a good look at the entire coin.
If you have reasonably good eye sight, and know how to examine a coin properly, magnification isn't essential.
Someone who knows what they're looking for can see things with their naked eye, which others might miss with a magnifying glass.
I'm not against magnifiers, but think they are sometimes overused and even misused.
Learn to overlook the tiny flaws unless the coin is supposed to be an MS 70 or PR 70.
Usually, those really tiny flaws are insignificant.
Don't get me wrong.
I don't think it's OK to buy over-graded coins, or that imperfections and flaws don't matter with respect to their grade.
Just don't micro-grade your subject coins.
Finally, learn what the subject rare American coin looks like in mint state, so you can judge strike quality and wear on the coin.
Learn what eye appeal is, so you can recognize and appreciate it, when you see it.
I prefer using a halogen lamp.
I can sometimes see things (hairlines, cleaning, etc.
) on coins under this type of light that I can't see by using other light sources.
Halogen lamps' color rendition is the closest to natural sunlight as artificial lighting gets.
When you're at commercial venues, such as coin shows, auctions or even the local coin dealer, you're sort of stuck with their lighting.
Objects look slightly different under different light sources.
Practice by viewing the same coin under different lighting to notice any differences the lighting makes.
If you really can't get by without a halogen or similar light source, there are portable hand held, halogen light sources.
In my view they are awkward to lug around for coin inspection, but may be just the thing that allows you to make critical judgments about a rare American coin.
MAGNIFICATION: I would urge you to look at the raw coin for several seconds without any magnification, before putting a glass to it.
Get a feel for what the subject rare US coin looks like in its entirety.
Many very expensive rare American coins get graded, bought and sold without the use of magnification.
I only occasionally use a magnifying glass.
The exceptions might be for very small coins like gold Dollars.
I will also resort to magnification in cases where I see something such as a spot or flaw that I want to examine more closely.
When I do use magnification, it is usually a small 5X glass.
When you use a magnifying glass, it's vital that you look at most of the coin and not simply one tiny area in isolation.
Whatever magnification you use, it should allow you to get a good look at the entire coin.
If you have reasonably good eye sight, and know how to examine a coin properly, magnification isn't essential.
Someone who knows what they're looking for can see things with their naked eye, which others might miss with a magnifying glass.
I'm not against magnifiers, but think they are sometimes overused and even misused.
Learn to overlook the tiny flaws unless the coin is supposed to be an MS 70 or PR 70.
Usually, those really tiny flaws are insignificant.
Don't get me wrong.
I don't think it's OK to buy over-graded coins, or that imperfections and flaws don't matter with respect to their grade.
Just don't micro-grade your subject coins.
Finally, learn what the subject rare American coin looks like in mint state, so you can judge strike quality and wear on the coin.
Learn what eye appeal is, so you can recognize and appreciate it, when you see it.
