Card grading tools
I am asked at least once at every sports card show I attend what tools do graders use and what tools do I need as a collector?
There are only a few basic tools every card collector show have. While I have discussed this in several previous articles in the Beckett Grading Report Card
(http://www.beckett.com/news/reportcard/archive.asp)
and in Grade School in the Beckett Monthly Magazines, I'll run down a quick list of what I personally prefer.
I have used a 10x triplet loupe that is corrected for color and distortion. The loupe is a dimond graders loupe which is used to grade diamonds for color and clarity. While this is on the upper end of the price scale I have had mine for almost 9 years and it is still being used everyday. The lenses is I believe are 21mm wide which is larger than many of the cheaper loupes on the market but gives a large field of vision which I prefer.
I also have a 16x doublet, a 20x doublet and a stereo microscope that I use when needed.
My loupe is an extention of my eyes and is with me almost everyday. I always take my loupe to shows when I travel and even have a neckstrap to keep it from getting lost in the shuffle. I once returned home from a show on a Sunday and went into the office on Monday. Being tired, I left my loupe at home the night before and had to use a "backup" loupe. I still remember that as being a bad day.
There are only a few basic tools every card collector show have. While I have discussed this in several previous articles in the Beckett Grading Report Card
(http://www.beckett.com/news/reportcard/archive.asp)
and in Grade School in the Beckett Monthly Magazines, I'll run down a quick list of what I personally prefer.
I have used a 10x triplet loupe that is corrected for color and distortion. The loupe is a dimond graders loupe which is used to grade diamonds for color and clarity. While this is on the upper end of the price scale I have had mine for almost 9 years and it is still being used everyday. The lenses is I believe are 21mm wide which is larger than many of the cheaper loupes on the market but gives a large field of vision which I prefer.
I also have a 16x doublet, a 20x doublet and a stereo microscope that I use when needed.
My loupe is an extention of my eyes and is with me almost everyday. I always take my loupe to shows when I travel and even have a neckstrap to keep it from getting lost in the shuffle. I once returned home from a show on a Sunday and went into the office on Monday. Being tired, I left my loupe at home the night before and had to use a "backup" loupe. I still remember that as being a bad day.
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