Your white balance on the camera is a little off, and it doesn't provide an accurate pic of the coin. the pics being blurry don't help either. I'd recommend getting a tripod, and two lighting sources (two lamps with a bendy neck) and make sure the camera is set on the marco setting, for detail. This coin will grade at somewhere in the AU range. It is worth maybe $15-$18.
it's the darker color cause I have to shield some light from the coin or it comes out way too shiny to see anything other then a bright white circle in the picture
Like I said, adjust the white balance, and get two different lighting sources, do not use the flash. Just practice, practice, practice. The pictures won't affect this coin, it is a common date morgan, and appears to be AU, it is worth a little over melt.
I'm not using flash or a "camera" just the camera function on my camcorder and the white light just makes it a shiny white circle in the picture how else does one make it so you only have a certain measure of light w/o having too little or too much?
I have two lighting sources, and a camera (with a marco setting) I'd recommend getting a camera, if they camcorder doesn't take good pics even with a marco setting. The two lighting sources, hitting directly on the coin, with a marco setting used on a camera will take good pics. You honestly just have to screw around with it, every camera is different.
That is strange, I always struggle with getting enough light on the coin. Often times I manually adjust the exposure setting on my camera. Here is what a photo of a Morgan would look like with proper light. Keep working. It took me years to get good at coin photography.
This is with 3 lights right on the coin, the camera should auto adjust for the extra lighting, if it does not then switch to manual mode and increase the shutter speed to make it not so white.