So I'm getting a bit more serious about my collecting, and I'm looking to get a few supplies that I should have had some time ago. What are your main tools for working with your collection? I'm looking for some advice on where to buy, what brands, etc. What sort of tools do you all use? I see the loupes are generally pretty cheap. Is there a specific brand? What level of magnification do you recommend? Any other magnification tool to supplement or replace a loupe? I also need a good pair of gloves, I believe cotton is the best choice? Again, any brands or specifications for these? I'd also like to get a better stapler for my 2x2 flips. My current one does not staple flatly. Anything else you've found to be useful throughout your time collecting and handling coins?
I use several magnifiers, loupes in several powers, it might depend on what you're looking for. If you're after varieties, you might want to look at several as well. One, to give you a wide field of view of the coin overall, and then a more powerful one to zoom in on small areas. I use cotton gloves for Unc and Proof coins, my old circulated coppers arn't as sensitive Here are some suppliers I have used..... http://www.jakesmp.net/index.html http://www.wizardcoinsupply.com/ http://www.bcwsupplies.com/ Have fun :smile
Someone recently (maybe it was the penny lady?) posted this very, very handy list of links (from the CU Forum) that may be of great help. There are some suppliers listed, just scroll down to that section.
Thanks for the memory jogger krispy.... The suppliers list... Supplies Amos Advantage (supplies) Brent-Krueger (supplies) Brooklyn Gallery Coin and Stamp (supplies) Danso Album Store Jakes Marketplace (supplies) JP's Corner (supplies) Whitman Publishing, LLC (supplies) Eagle Coin Holders (supplies) Wizard Coin Supply (supplies) *Valley Coin and Supplies
Plast-X for polishing slabs A good digital camera with manual focus like the SONY IS or Nikon Coolpix A copy stand goose neck floor lamps for lighting These are my coin related supplies.
I get most everything from Wizard coin supply. I got a nice little digital pocket scale on ebay that weighs accurately to 1 grain that I've enjoyed using. Neat to see how badly coins lighten up from wear or to check how close the tolerances are. Maybe even check for a counterfeit now and then. Edit: Oh yeah, I've got a nice digital english/metric caliper that I use a lot also. But I've had that for quite a while. All I use is a Belomo Triplet 10x loupe. A tensor light for taking photos under. If you set the white balance on your camera under it, you will get very accurately colored pics under that light. Various coin tubes for storing circulated stuff. Intercept Shield 2x2s for nicer stuff and the IS 2x2 boxes are really nice. IS albums, and slab boxes. Any cotton gloves will do. They're cheap and can be found most anywhere. That's about it for me.
My stereo microscope is my favorite and most useful tool. I don't use it for grading, just to look at pocket change for coins that might be worth selling to further my proof collecting. I use a Bausch & Lomb 5X packette magnifier if I need grading magnification on the road. Have fun!
I've heard that name on coin forums for a long, long time and everyone appears to find them OK. I usually purchase all my coin supplies at coin shows though. Saves on postage and handling. A few times I looked at that brent-kruger web site and compared prices from what I see at coin shows. About the same except as I said, no postage at a coin show.
Fogot. For magnifiers, if I were you I'd just go to places like Walmart, Kmart, Sears, etc for a variety of those. I carry a few from Walmart to all coin shows and no problem and really cheap.
