This was the first coin I ever purchased in my pursuit of a complete raw Barber Quarter collection. It bought it from Heritage Auctions in the November 2001 Santa Clara Signature Sale #275. I basically got the coin for half price due to the fact that it was un-certified and the auction photos were terrible.
The challenge with photographing a raw coin is that you really have no excuses for not taking a very high quality photo as you don't have any reflective plastic to deal with. You need to be able to capture the surfaces including both texture and abrasions as well as the luster and of course, color. If I ever intended to sell this coin as a raw MS64, I must be able to show the potential buyer that coin meets my subjective assigned grade. Here are the results of my efforts:
I took this photo on August 13th, 2008 using a Canon Powershot SD870IS Digital ELPH 8.0 megapixel camera. I used two overhead OTT lights with my kitchen light (flourescent) as background lighting. I did not use a copy stand and took the photos holding the camera in my hand.
We must keep in mind that there are no excuses for a poor photo of a raw coin. But when dealing in absolutes, there is bound to be an exception. In this particular instance, we are speaking of the incredible laziness of the coin owner to remove the coin from its storage before imaging. Although I originally purchased this coin for a raw Barber Quarter collection, it currently resides under plastic in a 20th Century Type Set Capital Holder. I was too lazy to take the coin out of the holder and was determined to take a high quality photograph of my raw coin through the plastic. Here are the original photos before photoshop:
And yes that reflection you see is my camera and my hands proving that I did not use a copy stand. Despite my laziness, I am very pleased with the final result. The photos give a great impression of the coin's surfaces and luster along with proper focus to view the details and strike of the coin. Although this coin appears to be blast white, it infact has a wonderful pearl patina that can really only be appreciated when shown next to other untoned Barber Quarters.
The Barber coinage often gets the short end of the stick from collectors. I find the design simple and beautiful. The obverse portrait has classic roman influences and is very appealing in all states of preservation. The reverse eagle design is one of my absolute favorites. I personally would rank only the SLQ and Walking Liberty half reverse designs as more eye appealing.
I am very proud of this photo because of the self inflicted degree of difficulty during the imaging process. I have been tempted since August to remove the coin from the holder just to see if I can take a better photo with the coin outside the plastic. I will let the CT members decide if it is necessary.
Lehigh96--Paul
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