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There is nothing more disappointing for veteran hobbyists as to see people with little numismatic knowledge posting microscopic photos of pocket change, believing they have discovered rare coins, errors and varieties.

Often they just show damaged coins, machine doubled ones from worn dies, miniscule die chips from metal dust, rings of death from sorting machines, slightly misaligned collars or rotated reverses within Mint tolerance, zinc rot from core deterioration, or just plain pareidolia.

If you didn’t understand the above paragraph, you shouldn’t be using a coin microscope.

This article explains when to use one, encouraging you to:

1. Know (a) how coins are made, (b) correct numismatic terms, and (c) errors and varieties actually recognized by top third-party grading services.
2. Realize that most valuable errors can be seen with the naked eye or a loupe with only a relative few requiring up-close analysis.
3. View surfaces of coins for evidence of cleaning, distinguishing the differences between hairlines, slide marks and dipping.
4. Identify dates, types or devices that are indistinct because of wear or acid treatment.
5. Document flaws of doctored coins whose sellers used PhotoShop or AI to hide flaws.
6. Research die markers to identify counterfeit, replica and restruck coins.
7. Photograph coins without investing in expensive light equipment, lenses and cameras.

Because of clickbait social media, thousands of new collectors post photos of coins asking veterans to identify non-existent errors and varieties.

Below are a few examples.

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This person has discovered machine doubling caused when a die becomes slightly loose and begins to deteriorate. In his favor, he posts a photo of the actual coin. Many newbies do not. The machine doubling here isn’t visible without magnification. It’s just a cent.

How about this post?

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For the grammarians out there, this person’s run-on sentence implies that he, and not the coin, “wasn’t circulated until the late 2000s.” (I believe him.) He fishes for affirmation claiming the coin has “great errors” and doubling. It does not.

This next guy believes his nickel has “multiple errors” and, of course, doesn’t mention what they are. He is primarily concerned about value.

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If you pretend you have discovered “multiple errors” and ask about values, you may get snarky answers.

Let’s learn when and how to use that coin microscope.

Select Errors and Varieties

If you know in advance what you are looking for–again, see this directory–you may need a microscope for certain types and denominations.

For instance, if you are looking for extra trees in the 2005 P-D-S Minnesota State quarters, you might need a microscope to spot the faint outline of doubling. Here’s a close-up of an extra tree on the 2005-D quarter:

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Evidence of Cleaning

It is important to identify dipping, which strips away a thin layer of metal so as to make the coin appear uncirculated. It does that to a degree, but then leaves tell-tale micro bubbles that dull luster. Hairlines occur when a person uses an abrasive leaving marks with each stroke.

Slide marks are not caused by cleaning but by storage in albums with sliding plastic covers. You pull out a cover, leaving marks as it “slides” out so the coin can be extracted.

Dipping and cleaning greatly decrease the value of the coin. However, third-party grading companies allow slide marks when awarding numerical grades. Not so if a submission was dipped or cleaned.

Here’s a photo of dipped, cleaned and slide-marked coins:

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Restored Dates and Devices

Some coins are so worn that a microscope may be needed to see the date, type, mintmark, device or die marker.

Here’s a worn example:

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Here’s an acid treated nickel:

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These two coins would require microscopic analyses.

Flawed or Doctored Coins

The Morgan Dollar below has a magnificent patina, greatly enhancing value if holdered by PCGS, NGC, ANACS or CAC. Say you bid high on that prospect and won the coin. But when when you receive it, you notice a pin scratch hidden by the toning. This would earn a details grade. If you want to return the coin, you can send as proof a microscoped photo (right).

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Researching Die Markers

Counterfeit experts know how coins are minted–so much so, in fact, that they can identify fake coins based on a comparison of die markers from genuine ones.

To see how this is done, read Proxiblog writer Jack Riley’s excellent piece, titled “Counterfeit 1851 C-1 Half Cent.”

In the photo below, Riley identifies a counterfeit coin by the markers circled in red:

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While many hobbyists would use a loupe to identify those markers, a coin microscope also is appropriate in this case.

Photographing Coins

There are many reliable brands of coin microscopes. Veteran collectors use them to photograph their coins without investing in expensive light boxes and lenses. If you buy a microscope with a pole less than 10 inches, you won’t be able to photograph large coins like Morgan dollars in their natural state with top-notch clarity.

The TOMLOV microscope below has that longer pole.

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Proxiblog uses a TOMLOV DM4S Microscope 4.3″ LCD Digital Microscope. You can learn more about that by clicking here.

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You can find more information about errors and varieties as well as buying and bidding on coins in Coin News Updated: The Essential Guide to Online Bidding. Please consider purchasing the work for yourself or a friend, as it underwrites this hobbyist website. Thank you.