11-09-2010, 07:07 AM (This post was last modified: 11-09-2010, 07:13 AM by deValcourt.)
This one is per Alexei's request, but if anyone is interested you can PM or email me at [email protected]. It is a tiny "microscope" that magnifies up to 60x and gives you the use of two lights for very up-close viewing - a very bright white LED and a UV light. The third option is no additional light, but when it's this close up to the surface,
The whole little gizmo, with a little leatherette case and batteries included was under $7 (that price also includes shipping). Since it was from an on-line store based in China and they say several times that they are not responsible for "lost" items, I started with something tiny and inexpensive and the package arrived - with a customs form - in about a week. Not a bad deal at all.
Anyway, here are the photos of what they classified as a as a fake currency detector. The ORS is in thefirst photo to give you a sense of perspective on the size.
If anyone wants the dot.com address, PM or email
Phillip
11-09-2010, 08:47 PM (This post was last modified: 12-17-2014, 04:47 PM by CtahhR.)
I dont know if I am allowed to post an ebay link so I wont, but if you type currency detecting microscope in to the search box on ebay.com you can get the same thing for half the price or cheaper.
I am going to grab one there now
I got one for 99 cents buy it now and 2.18 post to Australia. So a total of $3.17 delivered to Oz, there maybe even better deals postage wise for those in the US, europe and asia.
Matteti, I hope you got in on the eBay way because they are the exact same thing from the same seller in Hong Kong and selling cheaper. I don't see how, because I thought it was well worth $7 and I'm seeing them for $2.50-4.00 with delivery - crazy. The batteries alone cost more than that!:chuckle
Oh well...Simon, they work best on flatter awards like medals because they are difficult to keep adjusting for various heights and depths. Also, you might not like everything you see - the details are often stunning. The plastic tube at the end near the front lens lets the light in, while keeping the lens the right height from the surface.
You all will be impressed at what you can see.
Phillip
P.S. Eric! I like your idea, but I just pointed out something - I'm not selling them. Perhaps I should go to that Chinese website and find something else cool, buy it in bulk (they have a "wholesale" crazy discount) and then turn around and sell them on eBay - obviously somebody did.
[quote=deValcourt]Matteti, I hope you got in on the eBay way because they are the exact same thing from the same seller in Hong Kong and selling cheaper. I don't see how, because I thought it was well worth $7 and I'm seeing them for $2.50-4.00 with delivery - crazy. The batteries alone cost more than that!:chuckle
QUOTE]
I got the one for $0.99 + $2.19 for shipping... since it's a dollarama price, I am not expecting anything great so I won't be disappointed. But I agree with you, we will see stunning result... I remember seeing so much details in the red enamel of a OPW 1st class center medallion... there were many ultra-tiny cracks that could not be seen with bare eyes.
Yes, you will see things that you not only did not know were there, but may have been glad not to know about. At the same time, I found the earliest beginnings of verdigris on an older badge so that now I can take care of that before it becomes a visible and/or permanent problem. The incoming bright light made this discovery possible and you could only see it from certain angles which my regular 10x jeweler's loupe did not let me see (and with the old style ones, you have to have your overhead light source just right to see anything the way you should.
For those of you who already got one, adjust the angle of the light source for different things you want to see.
Like I told Art, with this gadget you can even see details that may have been worn off by handling; e.g. I found rifles in the hands of soldiers in the troop carrier in a Defense of the Caucuses that I would never have believed were there. Nice little surprise for the upside of what can be seen with these.
Good, so everyone will be able to get one of these gadgets for such a fantastic price ($2-4 including shipping).
The only thing I've found to be a sort of negative about this device is that because it magnifies based on most flat surfaces, the field of view (how much you can see of the medal, order or badge - or documents) is about 1-1.5 centimeters. However, since we know what we are looking for when we start to examine something very closely, this doesn't present a big problem - at least for me.
I know this is a different topic, but since I discovered the beginnings of verdigris with this gadget as I mentioned above, and I can't seem to recall where the thread is that removing verdigris was discussed, any help with either where it is or some tips on how to get rid of it without causing additional damage would definitely be appreciated.
Esteban, since I think it was you who posted the "how to..." I'm thinking of, perhaps you could remind me where it is.
), you should always be able to get one here where I originally stumbled across it while looking for a good, inexpensive flashlight: 
