I guess sellers of ancients like the saturation button too...

First of all, this isn't a complaint - just an observation. But I've received three coins now in which the seller's pictures were considerably juiced. Take this Constantius II Campgate for instance. Here is the sellers image...

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I haven't imaged this coin myself yet, but I did tweak it in Photoshop to bring it around to what it ACTUALLY looks like, and it's pretty darn close. Don't get me wrong, I love the coin and have no intention of returning it, but the coin I thought I bought and the coin I received are two very different things.

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I would be pretty mad if I bought it because of the toning. The top pic shows a coin with very desirable green toning.

If I had bought that coin, and not because of a specific scarcer type, I would have returned it.

 

Another example is this Denarius of Caracalla. This was the seller's image...

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In reality however, there is no hint of blue on this coin at all, and the parts that aren't toned have a nice, silvery sheen, something along the lines of this...

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Again, not a complaint. In this case, the coin turned out to have much more eye-appeal than the seller's pic would suggest.

 

The campgate still looks nice IMO. Looks like it still has silvering.

 

The coin isn't anywhere near as bad as my photoshop tweak suggests. In fact, I just took it outside for a breath of fresh air, and it looks positively glorious in the sun. I bought it because I liked the contrast between the silvering and the green patina. The patina just isn't neon green, like the seller's image - it's a rich, dark forest green.

 

To me, it only matters if it changes why you bought the coin. Coin 1 it could have changed my decision to buy it. Coin 2 I would have been happier in person than from the photo. I am not saying every seller has to be a good photographer, because lord knows I am not, but if they put up unrepresentational photos they should expect some returns. Especially if their photos are showing a more desirable coin than it really is, which to me would be the case with coin 1.

If you are happy with the coin, its not an issue. But, to me, it WOULD be an issue with the first one since I really love green toning.

 

I will give props however, to Zuzim Judeae - that dealer takes fantastic pictures. My Urbs Roma turned out to look EXACTLY like the pic...

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I tweaked the saturation on the Campgate a little too far down. This is closer to the truth, until I get a better image...

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Many sellers know exactly what we look for in the coins we buy, so they make their images appearance lean in those directions. Then there are the images that are just too dark so they must be tweeked in order for us to know what it is for sale. I'm with medoraman. It I'm not happy, back it goes. I've sold a few coins over my life and I always tell the buyers that if they are not perfectly happy with the coin in hand, not only can they return the coin, but at my expense. So far, I've not had any returned.

 

Sometimes I realize that some people are just not that good with coin photography. So I try to be a bit lenient if its a bit off. But if its way off then back it goes. Those coins you posted all looks very good despite that it did not look like the images from the seller.

 

I have a couple of coins from him, he does take good pics.

 

When I first opened this thread I thought the OPs coin looked like a few I had that my Uncle sent me that he found with his metal detector.

Then Medoraman's post says that it is desirable toning and I started scratching my head. I went downstairs and snapped a few shots of this indian cent hoping you guys can clarify what you are talking about.

I understand that most ancients have most likely spent some time underground, with that said, are you guys stating here that this type of damage is desirable in ancients? Really, I wouldn't consider my coin to have more that a cents worth in this condition. What am I missing? Looks like plain ol damage to a guy like me that collects US type.

My Uncle is an avid metal detecter and has found many a treasure. He lives and hunts in IL where he says the soil there that produces this look on all the copper coins he finds. The soil where I live is different and doesn't preserve them in this manner, so there is that...

Matt

 

Some ancient collectors would like that & some wouldnt. I love green patina but I dont like that penny.

 

Ancients are a world away from US type, my other main collection.

 

This article says it better than I can:

 

CM, some love the toning on silver coins, is that damage, when these coins were issued they were just copper coins,so in 2000 yrs your Indian coin will be very desired..

 

Yours is not as stable and thick as an ancient coins would be. You know what though? I have seen some large cents with a thicker, more stable green patina, and you are right, its viewed as damage by US collectors.

In the words of Gru, "lightbulb", i just came up with a great new collecting pursuit. Thanks Matt.

 

There's really nothing more subjective than human aesthetics. I like the IHC - it has a story to tell concerning its journey to the depths of the earth, a lengthy battle with the elements which it survived to be rescued by an intrepid fortune hunter.

 

Ok guys, I get the picture, a nice even lime green patina is sometimes desirable in ancients. I do find ancients interesting and desirable, I just need to shift my thinking. It seems a huge leap for me from modern ish MS coin surfaces to coins as old as we are discussing here.

Ill just go back to listening and learning here and see what else I can pick up hanging with the ancients crew.... In the event that I ever do purchase one, I would want it to be well thought out and calculated.

Thank You, Matt

 

Regarding the OPs comparison photo to the seller's, sometimes light source can dramatically affect the appearance of the coin.
Bronze patina is a mineral, and I know from photographing minerals that light source affects color dramatically.
Try this--photograph an ancient with green patina under different lighting--indoors, overcast daylight, blue sky--even time of day affects color.