Sorting my 70 year accumulation

Digital microscopes are great for microscopy - for coins, not so much, unless you're specifically making images of details (closeup of a mint mark, for example) in extreme macro close-up.
You need some sort of camera with a wider field of vision/focus than most digital microscopes provide.
Unless you're taking images which are intended for publishing in glossy-format books, etc, you don't need a gazillion pixels to take really good, serviceable photos of coins which are 100% appropriate for internet sharing, websites, pasting into emails, etc.
A significant number of the photos on my website/gallery were shot with a 0.6 megapixel camera. If you're filling your frame with the image and not taking a shot of a tiny item adrift in a sea of background (which is all excess pixels you will leave on the floor when you crop) a camera doesn't need to be 15+ megapixels to take good, sharp, detailed coin photos.
I have to keep telling folks not to send me their raw 15mp shots as they display too big to view without re-sizing. Many cameras with higher pixel-counts allow you to take photos at a lower pixel-density so they don't produce raw images of such huge size.

 

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Thanks. My wife gave me the order to find something (camera, stand and software) that will work. I will keep in touch. If you have any suggestions please advise.

Dave

 

You can see my latest finds at this new thread https://www.cointalk.com/threads/1962-d-cent-die-scratches.337033/ I am still in to this project. Not much of a dent yet.

 

I miss read your original reply and said that I had been using Dansco. In fact I was converting to Dansco. Sorry.

 

Searching a roll of 1963-P cents I found 4 with identical die cracks in the forehead. I attached a photo of one for an example. I also found 4 with identical die polish marks in the letter "GOD". I will put up a photo later.

 

In the same roll of 1963-P with the die cracks in the skull I found 4 with identical polish marks in the letter GOD. Attached is a sample.

 

Your 'white balance' is whacked.......

 

What type of lighting are you using to illuminate the coin?

 

I have a digital microscope with a built in light. It points straight down. I need a better set up but don't have the expertise to get it going.

 

@lehmansterms gave me some hints and suggestions also. I don't understand the process enough to make a set up. I now have a cell phone that will take photos, but, it is not good for close up or magnified shots of small detail. Frustrated and looking for a good set up. Any help is welcome. Thanks for the attention @green18

 

Here is a link to my latest find.
https://www.cointalk.com/threads/944-d-cent-laminations.338507/

 

See this link to my latest find. My 70 year accumulation is still paying off. The latest is a 1953D with WRPM-001 confirmed by James Wiles. https://www.cointalk.com/threads/1953-d-lwc-wrpm-001.339441/

 

If it is an USB scope with a circle of LEDs around the lens, cut a circular pattern of a sheet of white paper or thin white foam and make a doughnut shape which will attach to the scope with the lens in the center and the lights covered by the paper. you can use a very thin sheet to thich layer or multiples so you can adjust the light level hitting the coin. One person used the wax paper sheets ( mine is Kabinetwax ) that are about 10 x 10 for wrapping hotdogs, etc. in Deli.
Diffusion of the light is the main objective.
Jim

 

A new post in Coin Chat. In my accumulation I found 4 1958 D with RPM-001.https://www.cointalk.com/posts/3542849/

 

Hey their shinny. Us gals like shinny. You got it in spades

 

It's important that you have some way to hold the camera/phone in as close to a fixed position as possible for getting high-quality, clear photos, also it's best if you can keep it in a fixed position in ref: the subject. That way, when you use both obverse and reverse shots (stitch them together, etc) the photos will be the same size, same light-angle, etc. There are a number of ways you can "secure" the camera - phones do well with the clips made to mount them on car dashboards. There are tiny tripods for phones. If you have nothing else, lay the phone flat on a shallow box with the camera part hanging over the edge and place the subject on the surface below. Lighting (as I believe I already mentioned) is very important - if the subject is not well lit, you can't really depend on a camera (or phone) to compensate.
For getting closer-up with a phone, these sets of clip-on-phone, add-on lenses (wide-angle, closeup & fisheye) will work with just about any phone camera and are a terrific deal at the price (on sale for $6 the set).
https://www.sciplus.com/smart-phone-lens-kit-58826-p

The same mail-order house has a deal on a folding box/stage with lights and all ($17.50):
https://www.sciplus.com/portable-illuminated-large-photo-studio-64741-p

(full disclosure: I am not associated with this company in any way - but they have great stuff, often at amazing prices - I buy from them often and am very seldom displeased).
It's pretty badly out of date ref: the technology of the cameras, but the basic photographic concepts (fixed camera, background, lighting, etc) are the same despite it having been 20 years since I wrote this old "digital photography 101" introductory piece for young students:
http://ancientcoinsforeducation.org/content/view/54/30/
Doug Smith has some fantastic informational web-pages about more high-tech coin photography. If you ever contemplate becoming serious about photography, you'll definitely want to study his articles:
http://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/ -
http://www.pbase.com/dougsmit/coinphotobasic -
http://www.pbase.com/dougsmit/educational

 

Attached is a link to my latest adventure with my accumulation. I decided to make type sets for my great great grandchildren using the accumulation. The first attempt is documented in this link. https://www.cointalk.com/threads/what-to-do-with-my-accumulation.341614/

 

Maybe forget taking pics to show off the [very nice] stuff. Maybe get busy on acreddited appraisals?

 

Like I said earlier, for 70 years I have only been interested in date, mint and eye appeal. Since joining this forum I have a new life in coin collecting. But, I am still learning some of the things that are a way of life for most of you. With that said, what are "accredited appraisals"? And, how do you go about pursuing them? Thanks in advance.

 

@nuMRmatist This may be one of those accreditations you mentioned https://www.cointalk.com/threads/2011-ase-ddo.325484/ John Wexler confirmed the variety. Is that what you meant?