Definitely not. That coin is a low quality cast fake. Stay far away.
The blakesley effect does not actually occur during striking - it occurs during the upset milling when the coin is gaining its raised rim, prior...
Well, they already do Plus and Star grades for circulated coins.... Honestly though, I've long been in favor of having a breakdown of the grade....
This is where the distinction between "technical grading" such as what Insider preaches becomes confused with "market grading" such as the TPGs...
This is *absolutely* the case. Different series will have different designs, different field depths, different elements with different contrasts....
Sir Messy - could you start a new thread and explain what you mean with this (tutorial style)? I'm familiar with a histogram, and I use them...
Yeah, it can be tricky. My guiding light is always... "what does it look like in hand." I always try to make my image look like my coin does...
Yeah, that image is still showing significant over-lighting and lack of contrast. I'm not sure I'd call that image a "blowout", but it also...
For threads like this, please nix the template. But please, crop the images. We can get a lot more detail and a lot better image if we're only...
I agree, Messy. CircCam - that's a great image. I think what I would like to see to take it to the next level is a bit more contrast. For...
Very, very strongly no. Those of us who call a coin "AU-63" do so extremely sarcastically, with a vein of cynicism. It is not intended as a...
Why do you need/want magnets? Is this for identifying counterfeits? If so, really any standard magnet is going to suffice. Certain types of...
HA is also using NGC photos as well. I see advantages to this - the TruView is a standardized product and I know how to interpret the images....
Try playing around with some of these settings. Your camera probably has an "aperture priority" mode. Try using that if you aren't already (as...
With all deference to the previous posters, I am personally not a fan of the universally bright white fields. To me, they're overlit and can't...
What mode are you using? What ISO? What aperture (f/stop)? What shutter speed? I usually don't get very good results with only one light...
I always tell my roommate... If I die, my coin collection will pay off my mortgage and you can keep the house. Pretty sure that wouldn't be true...
For me, I don't see a problem with the toning on coin 2. It looks like album toning, and I like it. For me, coin 1 is blatantly overgraded by 2...
Been a lot going on so I've been less active recently, but I'll answer a summons. I'm going to go 63PL. Obverse might be borderline DPL, but...
I definitely won't argue that - #1 is clearly better struck than #2. I'm just not sure I'd call it "hammered." This is where your specialized...
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