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Here is a full resolution image of the obverse. Click on it and scroll around, check out how bad the die was. It's pretty insane.

 

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So 13-B basically in lamens terms mean poor state die.

 

No. It's the Specific VAM # assigned to this particular set of dies and state. VAM #'s are used to identify and catalogue specific die combinations and states. You can find out more here.

 

The thread Animation and Coin Photography covers the technique for making these. I started out eager but ignorant, but received helpful suggestions from other members. I also have more information in post #5245 in Post Your Lincolns.

Today I received this. This first image is a full-color JPEG that is two photos cropped, resized, and joined to create one image of 1600x800 pixels.

I have the camera mounted on a microscope stand with the coin on the stand's bottom platform. The whole assembly sits on a small turntable I "borrowed" from my wife. I tilt the coin just a little so the bottom edge is a tiny bit higher. Then the lights are positioned at top left and top right (i.e. 10 and 2 on the clock) to illuminate it. I watch the image through the computer monitor until the light catches the fields to the left and right of Franklin's face.

I take the first picture, rotate the camera/coin on the turntable just enough to see the lighting change a little, then take another. In all, I take 7 shots of the front and seven of the back. I straighten them, mask them with a circle, then crop and resize to 800x800. Then I join them in pairs - #1 front and #1 back together, to create a horizontal layout (shown above) and a vertical layout (shown below).

Finally I build an animated GIF file. I run through images 1-7 in 1.2 seconds, then from 7 back through 1 in another 1.2 seconds. That repeats forever.

I have my own software for this, but sites like giphy.com will let you upload your images and create the file for you.

Unfortunately, .GIF files only support 256 unique colors within each frame. This reduction in fidelity, called color quantization, is visible as a small lack of sharpness in the full-size animation, because each pixel has its color shifted to the closest match within the 256 colors in that frame. The algorithms try to pick the best possible 256 colors based on the actual colors, but it's never going to be as good as the full-color JPEG at the top of this post.

I think it took longer to write the explanation than to create this image (now that I have my workflow figured out).

Now here's a question for you. Would a buyer, based on these photos, pay more than the $33 that I just paid? Just curious, in case I start selling off my stuff some day...

 

So another good week in retail. 2 Ike's , 1974 & 1976, 2 40% halves, 1967 & 1969, 3 quarters, 1941, 1951 & 1963, 3 dimes, 1949 & 2 1964, 2 war nickels, 1943 & 1944, Indian head 192?, 1978 proof nickel, a 1916 penny and todays prize find (from a bank roll of pennies, 1899 Indian head.







Also a pile of wheat pennies

 

New dimes

 

Couple more

 

Bought this raw a few months ago. Was hoping for an MS grade, but had a feeling AU was where it would land.

 

In todays mail

 

In the case of your coin I would say the visual effect would not help, I would pay $33 but no more. Also if I saw a coin pictured with the visual effects, I would steer clear of it. Coin photography is an art all by itself so learning how to do it could only benefit your online sales in one way, if you used it honestly. The only way I would use it in my sales is if I used it on a problem free coin. It would be a freebie of sorts for the buyer, who doesn’t like a freebie, right? Here’s the only way I would be able to use it. I would grab my problem free coin, take a pic of the obv and reverse, good pics! Best pics possible! You want the pics you take to send a message to the prospective buyer. The message is this is a beautiful coin and you want to look at it, maybe even buy it! Write an ad and pontificate as much as possible, after all there's a ton of competition on feebay, so it’s dog eat dog mentality. After, taking your best pics possible then you could add a little coin visual. You just say something like here’s an 1897 Barber Half Dollar in AU condition trying to dance it’s way into your collection. In my opinion, that’s the only way I would be able to use it. But I'm sure there's other ways. Oh to you and jtlee, much appreciation!

 

It's been far too long since I added a Morgan to my collection, so I did something about it: 1880-S NGC MS62 - a low grade, but I like how the toning on the obverse makes it look like a painting. It's hard to tell from the straight-on slab shot, but the colors are much more vibrant and include electric blue (predominant) with hints of red and green. They show up better in the second picture. A buy I couldn't resist at less than $20.00.

Now, what do you guys think? Are those fingerprints on the obverse or bag patterns?

 

A Great Pair of 2018-W Proof Buffalos

 

I saw your post in your alerts and knew without looking it was a gold buffalo proof. Two of them, it turns out. Cool!

 

Those look like fingerprints to me. A bag pattern would be more along the lines of small looking dots, due to the weaving of the canvas. Those look more like the curved lines of fingerprint swirls. But, I could also be wrong.

 

Fingerprints or not (I suspect they are) it was still a good pickup for under $20!

 

I'm interested if you'd ever sell. Awesome colors.

 

beautiful 1883 cc graded ms 64. just bought it yesterday

 

This arrived in the morning mail:

 

No that much I know. My question is this particular VAM for this coin circles around the poor die state correct?