1851 Braided Hair Cent (51/81?)

That's a great image for a flash. Try what Leadfoot said and cut the exposure about 2/3 of a stop. A little more might even help.
Don't spend much on lighting. The camera can adjust to most whatever type of bulb is being used. The trick is that you have to find the right setting. These are the settings I found for that camera.

White Balance Modes

Automatic, Cloudy, Daylight, Fluorescent 1, Fluorescent 2, Fluorescent 3, Incandescent, Flash, Manual
If you see an option for custom white balance, that's what you want to do.
If nothing else works manual will.
Did it come with software for remote shoot?

 

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FLASH? Are you nuts?

Seriously, try some regular lights -- the result will be much less "harsh".

 

p.s. ldhair is wise to point you in the direction of white balance -- next to lighting and focus and exposure it is probably the most important feature to good photos. The good news is there's lots of reading available online to help you -- and if you have any questions, feel free to ask...

 

hey new here i bought a gold coin today i have pic hope i did not get riped off

 

Congrats!

 

p.s. welcome!

 

That's a tough one. Each series has it's own specialized reference which (along with a few specialized auction catalogs that have extensive runs of the various series) is naturally the best for that series. Probably the best overall reference would have to be Sylvester Crosby's The Early Coins of America and the Laws Governing their Issue. published in 1875 Even after 133 years it is still the standard overall reference and it is still an excellent book. The title doesn't seem to indicate it but along with the history and descriptions of each series it also describes all the varieties known for each series at the time of its writing. Fortunately it has had several reprintings and is usually readily available. Just did a quick search and I found brand new copies (1983 reprint) as low as $40. One downside is that being a reference that old don't expect much in the way of plates/images.

 

Welcome to the forum, and post an intro to the introduction forum.

Good luck with your coin.

 

I believe the coin you show now is an N-19, (rarity 3). It is not the so-called 51/81 overdate, which is N-3.