Gallienus Antoninianii photographed in natural sunlight

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In my experience lighting is the most difficult part of photography. It changes everything (and often nothing). I have been able to get sublime results with virtually all types of lighting, but frustratingly so I have difficulty duplicating the good ones. I just shot this one today, indirect natural light (direct sunlight is always entirely too harsh for silver). Base metals are soooo much easier.....

 

(What a great Balbinus, Ken!). Made this pic of a recent acquisition this morning. It was in hazy sunshine, and the silver looks well. It's one of my newest coins (1350 being my terminus), a silver dirham of the Golden Horde (= the Mongols who reigned Russia) minted in Krim, dated AH 686 = AD 1287. That strange object on the obverse is the tamgha or mark of the dynasty, set in a six-pointed star.

A yarmak or dirham from a lesser known Khan named Talabuga, who was far less successful than his father's father Batu (and his father's father's grandfather, name Genghis Khan). But hey, that's how it works. Talabuga came to a violent end in 1291. 20 mm, 1.61 gr.