Microscopes for coins, stamps and collectables

Coins, stamps, banknotes, fossils, minerals and watch movements all want one of two types. A stereo microscope shows the object in three dimensions with room underneath for your fingers, so you can tilt a coin until a die crack catches the light. A digital microscope puts the image on a screen, which is easier on the neck and keeps a photo of each piece. On the stereo side there's the Bresser Erudit ICD at 20x and 40x, the Researcher ICD LED up to 80x, the Bresser Analyth STR with 10x, 20x and 40x on a turret and the Levenhuk 3ST, a 20x to 40x zoom lit by halogen from above and below. On the digital side there's the Levenhuk DTX 800 LCD, the Bresser WiFi 2L, which sends the picture to a TV over HDMI, and the Bresser DST-1028 for a computer monitor.

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20 products

How much magnification a coin needs

Less than the box suggests. At 10x a 20 mm coin fills the view whole, which is the setting for judging wear and reading a date. From 20x to 40x you're into mint marks, die varieties and the perforations on a stamp. Above 60x you see one letter of the legend and nothing around it. Our magnification guide explains why working distance matters more than the top figure.

Light from a low angle

Hairlines, cleaning marks and lustre only show when light rakes across the surface, so a dimmable top light you can angle beats a bright fixed one. The lower light on the 3ST and the Erudit ICD is the one for a watermark held against the glass plate.

Collectables FAQs

Will a slabbed coin fit?

Under the WiFi 2L, yes; its 22 to 195 mm of working distance takes a slab or an album page. The 3ST's stage plate is a 90 mm disc, so a slab overhangs it.