Two Morgan Dollars

I'm not sure if my photography was any more up to the challenge of these than it was to the Jefferson nickel I tried last night. I took a lot of pictures, and these were the best of that lot. I think I need to find a good coin photography guide...

The 1883-O Morgan has significant multi-colored toning on its obverse and some on its reverse. The 1884-O Morgan has a bit of yellowish toning around its edges.

The order of the pictures here is 84 obverse, 83 obverse, 83 reverse, 84 reverse.

Thanks in advance for your opinions!

 

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Nice Morgans. Look like good strikes. Lot of details still distinguishible. Too bad Liberty's face looks like a bad case of acne on the 84, but details of relief are nice and strong.

 

The 84-O may only get a "Details" grade because of the gouge on her face, but the 83-O has a nice strike and I'd guess MS64+.

Chris

 

I appreciate the replies from both of you. I'm still trying to learn more about all of this. The gouge on the '84 wasn't nearly as noticeable with the naked eye, but it sure stood out when I looked at the photos!

So, if I'm aiming to get the best return on selling these coins, it seems like getting a professional grading for the '83 might be worthwhile but that the gouge on the '84 would likely be enough to make it not worth the cost/effort. Is that a reasonable statement or am I completely off-base on one/both parts? (I think that once I've gone through all the coins I'm working with in detail that there will be more than enough to justify the expense of at least one shipment to PCGS, unless I'm just horribly off-base in my preliminary assessment of things.)

Thanks again for sharing your insights!

 

No! It won't pay you to have either one of them graded. They are both common-date coins that would have to grade MS65/66 to make it worthwhile. Save your money!

Chris

 

Well I looked at the first photo with such promise, and then the next three really let me down. You are shining way to much light on the coin. Are you using the flash? The obverse of the 83' looks out of focus as well.

Just a few things that I do, set camera to Macro, adjust white balance by putting white piece of paper behind coin, and then set accordingly, use two-three lights to get maximum lighting on the coin without any kind of overexposure, like the flash would create.

Repost better pictures of that 1883-O, if that coin doesn't have many visible marks, and they blend with the surface of the cheek, it could have a shot of 65, granted it would still be common, it would fetch a premium. Only problem with that premium is the money it costs to get it graded. Try finding a local PCGS authorized dealer and try to get on boat with his shipment if he'll let you. But first, post better pics of the 1883.

 

Thanks, cpmeagles, for the grading-submission comments!

tmoneyeagles, I'll try following your suggestions and see if I can get better pictures. One question -- does it matter if the lighting is fluorescent?

 

Just be sure to set the lighting at an angle to the subject so you don't get glare in the lens, and make sure that your flash is turned off.

Chris

 

Going with that, fluorescent lighting makes for some beautiful photos if used correctly

 

i will be able to price these on Tuesday afternoon when i get home from a trip to Baltimore.

 

Cpm9ball + tmoneyeagles = cpmeagles.

Dude, that was hilarious!

 

I have heard that using a full spectrum bulb right above the coin works well.

 

How does a full spectrum bulb work since your camera should be directly above the coin? Is it like one of those fluorescent ring lights?

Chris

 

I have heard that having the camera and light source close together and above the coin works well.

 

http://www.coinimaging.com/

 

Thanks for all the tips and comments and for not giving me too much grief about getting a couple of screen names mangled together! Blame the gray hairs!

OK -- I think these pictures are a good bit better. My gut is that they're a little too dark, though. Is that accurate?

Thanks, again, everyone!

 

Ill say the 83 is worth about $25-$30, and the 84 no more than $20.

 

Not that Im a photo expert, still learning myself. So I wont offer a grade but the coin has nice original toning. Looks like nice strike as well.

Steve

 

You do need more light on the coin, and the camera should be directly over the coin. Taking photos at an angle like this tends to hide marks, hairlines, etc.

Chris

 

OK, thanks again to everyone and an extra thanks to Billyray who pointed me to that coin photography website. A couple pointers there led me to take the photos attached here. I think these are a bit of an improvement.