When you guys talk about scanning a coin what type of scanner are you referring? I've already ruled out police scanner! Lol
They're talking about a flatbed image scanner. But it's a horrible way to generate coin pics. Stick with a camera.
To make a counterargument here, yes, you can get the best pictures if you have the right camera, the right setup, the right lighting, and the time to perfect your pictures. If you just want to get a bunch of pretty good pictures quickly, like if you're selling something online, a scanner is the way to go. I've never had a camera that had good enough macro settings to take pictures of a coin. Someone said you can get them cheaply, but none of my cameras have it. My $600 model would need another macro lens that would cost several hundred dollars more to do it.
Malarky.... Scanners are optimized for flat things. Coins aren't flat. You do not need a cutting edge camera for decent pics. Most modern cell phones do an OK job except for fine details. My Nikon S9100 cost $190 new, 8 years agi.
Okay thanks guys for the reply I've been using my Droid Moto Z for all my pics I just thought there was a better way with some type of scanner.
Use a rest for the phone... stack of books, cut of wood, something like that. Something to hold it steady while you gently touch (not stab) the button.
My biggest problem using an i-phone was keeping it steady enough. Got one of those stick-on clamps people use in a car, clamp the phone down and then move the coin.........100% improvement.
I got a really cheap easy trick I can let you in on for your phone,just message me it's to long to post here.
But the surface of the coin doesn't really have that type of groves. Most cell phone cameras with at the magnification as you punch the camera button is usually close to the max of the lens /sensor combo. When you enlarge it with the finger spread, it interpolates and you get false pixilation of false data. That is why so many see things that aren't there. Its not their eyes, it is the camera software cheating to make it larger and appear coherent, which it really isn't. Jim
To each his own and maybe some buyers are OK with scans, but I steadfastly refuse to consider any coin posted for sale with scanned images. There's simply too much visual information that's lost in a scan.
I use my cell phone...I lean the item against my coaster, take the image, then use photoscape to crop.
A camera is really the only way to go, as noted, but I think one actually can produce good images on a scanner -- the coins have to be sufficiently low-relief for it to work, though. I did these on a flatbed:
I just now tried using my HP 4400 Deskjet Printer/Scanner on some coins. Works okay on raw coins. But a blurry result for coins in air-tite capsules. And very blurry result for slabbed coins.
