Having your coins professionally photographed

Catbert, When you put like that...what a great example of coin photography of a great coin. Well done.

Bruce

 

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So are all of these coins slabbed in the photos?

 

Yes they are, two hints;
1)There is a label with the coins grade included in photo
2)There is text in photo describing grade and what TPG graded it

 

Yeah, the ones The Penny Lady posted do have the labels in the picture. I am just surprised that the photos came out so well taken through the slab. I thought maybe they were taken before being slabbed.

 

Oh I see what you are saying.
Actually, photos can be magnificently taken within a slab, vs. a 2x2 or any other flip. It's also safer to take pictures of your coins in a slab vs. it being raw, you have the possibility of your dropping it or getting your fingerprints over it, if you take the picture raw.

 

Look at the 1877 and 1914-D she posted. They both have the 4 fingers from the NGC slab showing. You can make most slabs disappear by cutting a round hole, but you cannot get rid of those fingers.

 

I've always wanted a few of mine professionally photographed. For the life of me, I cannot take a decent picture of a coin no matter how much time and effort I spend on it.
Guy~

 

I take decent photos for most of my coins, but those that I have trouble with I send to Bob Campbell. He is excellent, as evidenced by the below pictures:

 

Almost all the photos of my coins were taken while in the slab. I personally don't mind the NGC prongs showing on the coin, but I have seen someone be able to photoshop those prongs out of the photo and do a pretty good job, to where you would never have known it had the prongs. And, by the way, my 1914-D is now in a PCGS holder (I was hoping it would upgrade since I think it is an MS65, so I will probably try one more time), but I haven't had Todd retake the photo yet.

 

I hear ya on that.

 

Yea, I can shop them out and do a fair job, but there is something about knowing the photo has been shopped. Top right is descent, but the top left - well, it is done. Probably acceptable for my first try.

Anyhow, that nick by the left wheat is hurting the chance for your 65. It still might make it. Good luck.

 

Just Practice

Dang, Rim.

I spent half an hour Shopping out those tabs just to pick a fight and they ended up looking as fake as yours.

Ok~your fix looks better than my fix.

 

It only took me about 15 minutes. You just select a section of the rim next to the tab, copy it, paste it, rotate it and move it to the right place. I tried the left in halves - wrong. I did the right in quarters - much better.

 

I did a select/similar~transpose~rotate 45~copy/rotate backward 45/flatten~then the daps/ stamping, the cursing brushing/quick masking.....

...but I got 4 at a time that way, kinnda.

Actually, I have a brother that spent his life selling photos of hor$e$.

His Copyright certified it to be Unretouched. Photos are not what they used to be.

"I have a photograph. Preserve your memories", old friend.

 

I would say 98% of all coins I shoot are in slabs. Some of the slabs are in bad shape but there are tricks to help slab condition.

As far as the NGC prongs I normally leave them in there. If someone doesnt like the prong I just tend to crop it close, that cuts out part of the rim but eliminates the prongs for the most part.

 

FOLKS USED TO SEEING SLABS IN HAND may like the "proof" of the tabs showing.

 

Well, here is another example of the difference in capturing the real essence of a coin. This is one of my favorite Conder tokens.

First (the seller's pic):



My best effort (no dedicated lighting, no camera stand):



Todd Pollock's (really captures the luster and color missing from my pics):



Big difference, eh?

 

That is amazing!
Which pictures accurately represent the coin?

 

The last one! Does that surprise you?

 

catbert - that is simply amazing! Could you give us some insight into the process used? I mean it cant be as simple as just the camera... what type of lights, how many ect??