Who owns a magnifying glass?

Yep, we have one. Absolutely essential if you're risking purchasing certain types of pin off of the bay. We've identified damaged pins and scrappers this way. Took it with us trading but didn't quite have the nerve to use it, just stayed clear of HMs!

destiny117 said:

I use a magnifying glass and a loop. If a pin has something weird on it after looking at it with the magnifying glass, I then use the loop. I will then know exactly what I am seeing. It is a must in this hobby, especially these days.

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Same here

Haha! yes, I wouldnt be without a magnifying glass when choosing what to keep in my collection.

I am new here and just wondering,
what is the purpose of owning a magnifying glass for this?

Skritz

There are a lot of fake pins about, especially hidden mickey pins. They often have errors in the wording on the back or the incorrect date so you need to be able to read it clearly if you have to make a quick decision about something. I was just thinking myself that I needed one!

Yes. I use it all the time. The lettering on the back is too small for my old eyes.

Skritz said:

I am new here and just wondering,
what is the purpose of owning a magnifying glass for this?

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It is for us blind people who can't read the writing on the back of the pin. LOL! :lol: Also for getting a closer look at the details of a pin.

My opinion...i dont freak out about dips in paint cause i have many authentic pins that have streak or dips because the medal isnt perfect and if i cant see it with my eye than i dont care, but other may. I need it for the darn back! i cant even see the year mostr times and when i go to loog them into pinpics sometimes i cant find the pin unless i type the year in. also you can see if it has a scrapper spelling. ex. Stitch pintiquities is Yintiquities SCAPPER but when i traded for it i didnt see the Y becuase the writing is so small. I never needed it for trading in person but Lucan444 had one at the circus which came in handy at the boards to see if a pin you pulled wasa AP or PP.

Thanks for posting this question. I learned a lot of information and I just bought my first magnifying mirror for my home. I am now ready to weed out scrappers that I bought from ebay. BTW what is a loop and where do I find the red magnifying glass that others have mentioned?