Are woodgrain cents less desirable?

Let's not forget the Nickel

 

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I did miss the beads, there is some definite wear on One cent. I could be missing in the originality end of the grade. I see some details missing, but I am not sure, just my read of the photos.

 

Thanks for all of the comments. The previous photos I took were with my iPhone and the phone has a habit of smoothing things out. This is good when taking pictures of people, but not so good when taking pictures of coins.

So, I go the real camera out and tried again. I'm still learning how to photograph coins well, and I have an especially difficult time with copper.

Nonetheless, here is a slightly better photo of the same original coin. All 4 diamonds are visible and the beads are visible, too. I still think there is some luster here, but I can't tell for sure whether someone may have cleaned this is the past. Once I get it off to the grader's place, I will know for sure.

Now... I need to do some serious practice on photographic coins! I'm going to play with light angles, exposure, white balance, macro, non-macro and see what I can come up with.

 

I collect them

 

I’m a big fan and have several. Here is my favorite.

 

Another matte proof.

 

picture looks good, play with the lighting and snap a lot of pictures, Ideally you'd be looking for one that best represents how the coin looks to the eye in the picture. this picture looks like too much white light. maybe a filter to tone down the lighting.
Lighting plays a huge factor. same coin as the one I posted above with a cold blue light instead. it looks wrong and unnatural and less appealing but it highlights the streaking of the metal a bit better than when the light is set warmer for a more natural to the eye appearance. background is white paper on both sets of pictures, mostly to be able to identify the "color" of the light being used. you might have better luck with a black background, it tends to absorb some of the excess light instead of reflect it like white will.
I find the photography aspect of it intriguing, but I'm a collector first and foremost, so I don't spend much time on it. It takes some fiddling and tweaking to take really good pictures just in general but you don't necessarily need great equipment, it just makes it easier to take nice pictures with great equipment, this and the previous pictures were taken on a samsung galaxy S5 cellphone camera for instance and then some different lighting sources.


Anyways, just saying, it's not easy to get a perfect picture when you use a potato, but with some fiddling and effort you can get acceptable pictures if you stick to it.

 

Looks like someone set off the woody bomb in here!

 

Here's a tough year to find decent wood.

 

Wow! You all have sharp eyes! It did indeed come back "cleaned." I sent it to ANACS, so it did also get a numerical grade. It came back as "XF 45 - Details (Cleaned)".

I still have a harder time with copper coins, and the woodgrain made it a bit more complex! Thanks for all the input on this one!

 

I will take the details cleaned any day

 

I know some collectors like wood grain coins, but I avoid them. That’s especially true for me if the streaks are pronounced and interfere with seeing the design on the pieces. It is a matter of personal preference.

As for coin that started this thread, I was concerned that it had been cleaned when I first saw it. I am sorry that it didn’t work out for you.

 

Looks "pixelated" alloys up close. Fascinating. Some online shops...Woody 1909 s VDB's seem to go wanting while others more "conventional" sell. Maybe us Numismatists are just too "primitive minded" and solely based on emotive perception of coins vs understanding the metallurgical, environmental and reactive qualities that the elements and minting of coins entails. Concrete takes "years" to fully cure... "Who knows what evil lurks in the metallurgical hearts of coinage? Us collectors and Numismatists sure don't completely KNOW.

 

@Insider I'm a little late on the response.

In ceramics, we call these regions grains or domains, and they are separated by grain boundaries. The grains usually have specific crystallographic orientations. I've seen the same terminology used in metallurgy although my experience in that field is limited. It's basically the same thing as a single crystal (but material scientists need to make things complicated ).

To confuse things, the term grain can also be used to describe polycrystalline particles. A grain of sand may or may not be a single crystal.

I like using the term "grain domain" to describe what you're seeing. I think it describes the region and clarifies between single crystal and polycrystalline grains. I've occasionally come across the term in ceramic literature but am not sure if it's used much in metallurgy.

 

Just FYI. I recently purchased an MS66+ ICG 1953 Lincoln for my NGC registry set. When it came back from NGC it was in a MS65 holder. That cost a few bucks.

 

Nice coin! It's a keeper!

 

This was in my grandfather collection. This 1909 VDB was in a small envelope for over 70 years. It has so many colors. I took photos from two angles. I would like to know if this coin should be graded or leave it uncertified.

 

Normally I would have it graded but there is a black spot developing on the reverse left wheat ear and there is a partial fingerprint on the obverse just behind Lincoln’s head, therefore I would leave as is and protect by using a pvc free flip.