first slab and first pic

Discussion in 'US Coins Forum' started by ontime1969, Aug 15, 2009.

  1. ontime1969

    ontime1969 Junior Member

    Hey guys, ive made my first slab buy, 1934 winged Liberty head with full split bands. Its a PCGS MS64. Its the last merc I need for my Dansco 2123 except for the key date 16-D (you can see it here http://www.cointalk.com/t65465/). Im working on a better pictures that you can actually see and my photoshop skillz are very rusty.

    I was going to crack it out and put in the set but im not sure if thats the best course of action now. The rest of the set were bought as 2x2's and range from G/F to a few MS. So should I buy a cheap filler for the hole and start a slab set? Or do I break it out, add to my album and upgrade the low range stuff with higher quality? This was original plan.

    By getting 2x2's I have learned a lot about grading this series and I really enjoy it, but im also feeling like moving on to a new set now. These sets are for me and my children someday. I'm not a "per se" investor, but I do want to insure anything valuable. Does having documented slabbed coins make much difference with getting insurance?

    The more I read and learn, the more I realize what a novice I am. This is a good sign of a fun hobby.
     

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  3. green18

    green18 Unknown member Sweet on Commemorative Coins Supporter

    I'm not a "slabby" guy (basicaly a raw fellow) but I do own a few. My advice is look for another example for you Dansco and keep the current coin in its' holder.
     
  4. krispy

    krispy krispy

    keep the slabbed one, buy a filler.
    gotta work on that camera shake too. and if you have photoshop, no need to overlap the images next time.
     
  5. green18

    green18 Unknown member Sweet on Commemorative Coins Supporter

    Credit glutton? LOL....
     
  6. krispy

    krispy krispy

    eh... that's me!
     
  7. tmoneyeagles

    tmoneyeagles Indian Buffalo Gatherer

    Well I say keep it in that pretty little slab....And also keep on working on the photo skills.
    Try two different lighting sources, and no flash. Remember to always use marco, and even put a white piece of paper behind the slab/coin, and make sure that it is the right shade of white, so you know the color should be all good.
    We are always here to help if needed :)
     
  8. tmoneyeagles

    tmoneyeagles Indian Buffalo Gatherer

    You know I will catch up!!! :D
     
  9. krispy

    krispy krispy

    LOL! I know you will, and faster than a bolt of lighting!

    BTW, I think he was scanning these rather than shooting with a camera, could be wrong, but the reflected light on the plastic of the flip looks like scanner lamp light. Still a little effort will pay off.
     
  10. ontime1969

    ontime1969 Junior Member

    Thanks for all the feedback guys. I will take all advice.

    I took this photo with a camera using a dim lamp for light source and no flash. I did not use a tripod <---error, I must dig it out. Unfortunately I only have a 18-70 mm lens for my camera right now. So im using highest quality and then enlarging the pic. Next time It will be better with tripod. good idea about the white background.

    I decided to fill the hole will a less quality 2x2 coin. All upgrades I make will be slabbed coins of MS63 or better. At the end I will have two sets. A Dansco mid range quality and slabbed high grade.:high5:
     
  11. krispy

    krispy krispy

    Yeah, tripod is worth digging out now that you got a great coin to image. Please post new shots when you can. Cheers!
     
  12. ontime1969

    ontime1969 Junior Member

    New photos of my slabbed 34-D merc.

    Using the hints you guys gave me, I re-shot the coin and the results are better although far from perfect.

    I used a Nikon D-70, a tripod.
    I set the ISO at 200, used the macro mode with the flash.
    I used a white background this time.

    Cropped the photos in PS CS-2 and put against black background.

    I'm still using the bulky 18-70 mm lens and I wont be able to upgrade that for a while ($400 for lens or coins...duh COINS). How limited with this make me? The are some marks from the plastic slab that are not coming off well.

    I did use the best quality JPEG setting, but should I shooting this in RAW? I appreciate constructive criticism about the pic or the coin. Any more suggestions?
     

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  13. krispy

    krispy krispy

    They look LOADS better, but the uploads around CT these days are wonky, not your doing. not sure what settings are best right now for uploads. However, since you have Photoshop, make sure your image size is set to something like 600 pixels upto 1200 pixels on the longest edge of your file. That should give you an easy file size to upload relatively quickly and not bog down CTs servers, etc. The 600pxl wide size was the prefered CT album size also, I think.
     
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