VOCABULARY TERM: MAGNIFICATION

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V25 2022 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 25, Number 39, September 25, 2022, Article 13

Here's another entry from Dick Johnson's Encyclopedia of Coin and Medal Terminology. -Editor

Magnification. An optical lens or system to magnify the image of the surface of a die, a numismatic or medallic item. Unless an engraver has very good eyes, some form of magnification is used when engraving a die by hand engraving. He has a choice of optical systems to use, ranging from a hand-held lens to a compound microscope. The same is true for anyone who wishes to examine the surface of an existing coin or medal. See chart.

Magnifier – one lens, low power magnification, with or without a handle. Engravers' Magnifier – two plano-convex lens, 3.5 power, provides a corrected, wide, flat field, mounted in hard housing.

Aspheric Magnifier – one lens, 5 power, provides wide field with far edge clarity, mounted on stand or with handle.

Loupe – two or three lens, 3 to 20 power, variety of mountings: for eye (with or without headbands), for spectacles, fold up for pocket, on stand, or with hollow handle for batteries and bulb for illumination.

Optivisor – side-by-side prismatic lens mounted in headband assembly, 1 1/2 to 3 1/2 power, with optional auxiliary lens for additional magnification up to 5 1/4 power, leather adjustable headband.

Telesight – binocular lens on spectacles or clip-on style, 1 to 3 power, flips up when not in use.

Lenscope – three lens, two bulbs for illumination at different angles, 7, 10 or 20 power, lies flat with hands free, can be used with reticles to make measurements in different scales, made by Bausch & Lomb in high quality.

Illuminated Magnifiers – single lens, 1½ power, variety of kinds: on stand or with swing arm, fluorescent lamp often with circular bulb around circular lens.

Microscope – compound with two eyepieces, stereo view, 5 to 40 power, usually with internal lighting.

P2 {1959} Tritt (Donald) Magnification Systems for Coin Study. The Numismatist (February 1959) 72:2 p 131-134.

Dictionaries and encyclopedias are never complete, only as complete as possible at the time of publication. The world and our understanding of it continue to grow and evolve. These are all traditional analog magnifiers - would anyone care to expand on this list for our readers with definitions of digital magnification systems? -Editor

To read the complete entry on the Newman Numismatic Portal, see:
Magnification (https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/dictionarydetail/516257)