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How to look at a coin with a loupe
A 5× or 10× loupe, a lamp, and a tilt. That is how a shop decides wear from hairlines. Not a phone flash. Not a kitchen window.
A shop does not grade from a phone photo. A shop tilts the coin under a lamp and looks through a loupe.
You can do the same thing at home before you drive over. It will not make you a grading service. It will stop you from calling every shiny coin Mint State. Sheldon scale. Mint State.
What to buy
A 10× triplet loupe is the usual shop tool. 5× is gentler if you are new. You do not need a $400 microscope for a junk-silver bag.
Hold the coin by the edge. Do not pinch the face. A fingerprint is not a grade. Don’t clean.
Light
Use one lamp. Tilt the coin, not the room. Luster rolls. Wear on a cheek stays dull no matter the angle. A window behind you will lie. A phone flash will lie louder. Why apps lie.
What you are looking for
- Wear on the highest point: cheek, breast, knee, hair over the ear. That is circulated versus not. AG to AU.
- Hairlines — fine parallel scratches from a wipe or a pencil eraser. That is cleaning, not luster. Hairlines vs toning.
- Bag marks — hits from other coins. Allowed in Mint State. They are not wear.
- Rim nicks and scratches — damage. That can become a details grade.
What not to do
Do not dip it. Do not “just hit it with a cloth.” Do not breathe on it and rub. The loupe is for looking. The shop still looks again when you get here. When to slab.
Continue in the coin and money library. Related visitor guides: for shop visitors.