Can't Remember If I Showed This - 1793 Chain America

Don't remember whether I showed this.







After looking at my images I find I have to redo them.
Because the grade (hence the relief) is only VG-10 my standard technique didn't work well.
My normal angle of lighting is about 75°.
I'm going to have to reduce it a lot to help accent the design elements.

 

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Hmmmm, improving my images is going to be tougher than I thought.
First two trials resulted in worse (darker) rather than better images.

 

Very nice! And impressive. Lovely example for your type set.

I’d really love to get one of these someday, but they are so expensive. $2500 for a crappy barely-recognizable hunk of copper is way too much.

 

See if you can light from the top for the reverse, too -- at first glance, it looked like all the design on the reverse was incuse, which was REALLY WEIRD. I had to look at the shadows from the mounting tabs to get my brain re-oriented.

That said, I'd already be happy to buy based on these photos -- if I had the budget.

 

I had the coin oriented wrong when I took the image.
The lighting came from the southeast rather than the northwest.
Because of that the relief appears reversed.
As a onetime cartographer I should have picked up on that.

 

Nice coin I’d be happy to own

 

Nice example of the S-3, (way better than mine).

Taking pictures of copper coins is a challenge and an art, and one I have not mastered yet.

 

Awesome coin, feel free to forget if you've shared it and share it again down the road

 

Yeah... "only VG-10"... Any of us mere mortals would of course never accept anything less than AU...

(LOL. J/K. Nice coin. I'd be happy if I could someday afford even a barely recognizable specimen!)

 

Just the history encased in that coin, first true US mintage (half dismes apart), 1793... probably touched a few of our founding fathers' hands! 2Gs no worries just to gaze upon all that.

 

Hope you don’t mind. I copied and brought out some of the details in your photos. Beautiful coin

 

Oooooo, well done.
I've got Photoshop Elements but my skills with brightness, contrast, etc. are severely lacking.

 

Nice coin!

Lighting circulated copper is tricky, because you really want to show the color of the coin along with the details. White balance (and a calibrated monitor) is also critical so that you show the actual color, not one with a slightly sickly tinge to it. Lower the light from where you normally shoot. Start with one light, which will get you the shadows you want, then add a second light nearby that will even the light out a bit without filling in all the shadows. Both should be at lower angles than you'd use for uncirculated (lustrous) coins.

 

You’re right! Bringing back the copper tone looks great!

 

AMEN!

 

Really nice coin. You can show off that beauty any time
as many times. Who doesn't love old copper?

 

Yeah but. It dont get any better

 

Your coin is loaded with class. I'm liking the details

 

Love that coin! Chain cent is on my all time want list for sure!

 

NIce coin, Kanga! Definitely a dream coin for most of us.