I find the coin attractive as well as the toning. The Walker series is tough to find with attractive rainbow toning and although the toning on this coin is far from monster, it is rather nice for the series. Disruptek's photos are obviously designed to show the color of the coin. My guess is that tilted under a light at the right angle, the photo is spot on. Heritage's photo is a straight on shot which is probably a more accurate representation of the coin in most conditions. Ironically, I think the combination of both sets of photos makes the coin even more desirable than either photo by itself. The luster looks better in the Heritage photos and that is a major factor in an MS67 coin. With only the Disruptek photo, I would have been concerned about the luster on the coin. However, this is still a coin I would like to see in hand before purchasing. I think Mark is right about the motive of the previous owner. It seems clear that the crossover was an attempt to upgrade the coin from PCGS MS67 CAC to NGC MS68. The owner may have also been hoping for a star designation based on the toning. This coin is a registry level coin and the star designation which is rare on Walkers would have been a selling point since coins with star designations get a point bump in the NGC registry. IMO, the coin does not deserve a star designation based on either set of photos. I have a walker that looks very much like the coin in question. Maybe I can find the photo later an post it.
I appreciate your thorough comment. I have a little experience with photography and have noticed that many online photos of coins appear warm; i.e., toward the yellow. This is especially the case on Heritage, I've noticed. Whenever I'm seriously considering a coin, I'll lift the image and color-correct it in Photoshop (simply using Auto Color, but it's easy to double-check using, e.g., the white of an NGC slab against a white elsewhere on the screen). Anyway, I found the pics in the ebay listing of this half also to be warm; below is the color-corrected version. Disruptek's photographer is no doubt using filters to bring out specific qualities, so I realize my altered file is just one more approximation among the others, but if this coin had this color in hand, I'd be sold on it! PS: even this image is a little washed-out due to uploading to Photobucket.
Still, you have to admit the photographer has incredible skill. Capturing that toning on this coin is probably an extremely challenging task. I have never been able to get a good shot of my toned walker.
BE CAREFUL! Auto color doesn't do a very good job of color correcting. While what you describe will correct some badly taken photographs, the NGC slab insert isn't precisely white and if you check against that you will leave some color cast in the resulting photos.
Do you know why that is so ? It's because regular incandescent lightbulbs produce a yellow cast due to the wavelengths of the light produced by the bulbs. Ever notice on lightbuld packages they often have names like Warm White, or Cool White ? Warm produces a yellowish cast, Cool produces a blueish cast. Same for fluorescent bulbs. That's why the type of lightbulb you use for coin pics is so important. You need to use bulbs that produce the full light spectrum, not just a part of it.
Read the last sentence of my post I guess. When all else fails - order some from outside the country. While I don't know for sure, I doubt it's illegal to import lightbulbs.
Actually, you could also use a camera that can color correct (i.e. set custom white balance), and get better results. Even a Reveal has a color cast -- all lights do, even the "full spectrum" ones.
I think Disruptek's photographer does have incredible skill; didn't mean to imply otherwise. Nice Walker! Thanks for posting. Would be nice to see in hand.
Thanks for the warning, but I know color well. I've been teaching art, including color theory, at the university level for over 20 years and before that worked as a graphic designer for 8. I've overseen many photo shoots and print runs and also know Photoshop well. I just don't like to pronounce myself an "expert," nor have I seriously photographed coins. By the way, since I know you to be a copper fan, did you happen to check out the 1826 large cent I posted on another thread you were following? http://www.cointalk.com/t134741/ Not my coin, I was outbid.
I figured you were experienced, but didn't realize you were THAT experienced. Frankly I was surprised when you posted what you did. Regardless, my post was more for others who aren't so fluent in color theory and digital photography and may not be aware of some of the nuances. Yeah, I did respond over there, and I think that your being outbid wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Take care...Mike
Since I'm sure Heritage's photographers know what they're doing, I was thinking they might take things a little warmer to soften the look of some coins, esp. copper. But maybe I'm totally wrong and it's simply the way their web software generates the colors.
Not sure what was surprising about my post. Do I ask a lot of silly questions? I collected coins as a teenager and then put it away for a long time and returned about 3 yrs. ago, so I tend to err on the side of caution. Interestingly, that '26 was won by a floor bid which I thought lent credence to the coin's surface being natural, but of course that doesn't mean it is.