Got home from work and two boxes were waiting for me. One had a bunch of coins, the other had books, some coin supplies, etc. Within five minutes, my son had the coins out and was trying to match them with a book to attribute them. We had been calling the expected date of arrival RC (Roman Coin) Day. When RC Day arrived it lived up to the hype! Another big thank you to @Deacon Ray! This was one of the nicest things I've ever had happen. I will get a group pic together with the coins when I get a chance, and post our (futile) attempts to identify the coins. My plan is to use this thread as we figure them out.
I'm looking forward to all your subsequent posts!!! I'm flashing back to the day I received my first 'batch' of ancients....I was thrilled beyond description!! I spent countless days, weeks and months trying to identify them and research them---- and LOVED every minute of it!
Pics or else! Or else what? Exactly! Can't wait to see them! Nobody can be worse at identifying coins than me, so you'll be safe. Erin
Still sorting and learning the ropes in trying to get the coins attributed. So far, I seem to be terrible at it, but as time goes by it's improving.Just as bad is my ability to take pictures of the coins. My daughters are helping me so pics should start appearing over the next few days. The coins are AMAZING to look at, handle and research. Some of them are incredibly delicate, making their survival for 1500-2000 years a miracle.
All attempt at decent pics have failed utterly. So, it's back to the drawing board. Well, it's actually time to put the pinch on my kids to help. Never thought I'd feel so old at 44.
Super quick hint that might help...photograph them on something that has some printing on it. It is easier for autofocus cameras to focus on sharp typeprint than on coins. You can crop the pics using PhotoScape to get rid of the type.
Rest your cell phone on a tall glass or small box so it does not move. Use a magnifier app sometimes helps. I used cozymag on android with decent results.
Had a chance to give it a go and, as always, bad pics. I think this coin is a Severus Alexander based on what I found in the two guidebooks and a coin that matches it on the webpage run by @Orfew. But, that is my first guess. Edited to try better pictures. View attachment 676795 View attachment 676797
I edited my previous post with pics taken with a "magnifier" app. Still not good enough. But, getting a little better. I'm not trying to identify the coin, my only goal is to get better pictures.
Try lighting it with lamps, the cell phone light, or flashlights. Playing with lighting is key to getting a good picture.
I think my best cell phone pictures were taken with diffuse afternoon sunlight. Not direct sunlight just slightly in the shade.
Will give it a shot...I've read through a bunch of threads looking for info as well. So, I'm trying a bunch of different options. Not that I expect top quality pics - they just need to be good enough to post the coins from the Deacon Ray contest.
So! I'm taking my first shot at identifying the obverse bust on a coin. The coin I just posted looks to me like it is Aurelian. I think I see IMP CAVRELIANVS AVG. It also looks like I see the remnants of a well worn beard. Any chance that's right? I might also be hoping it matches.
