Great Collections' photos

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

I've nabbed some really ugly coins in great collection for cheap only to find they are much more beautifully toned in hand.

 

I think they could have brought out more of the color. I worry this might happen when I start selling.

 

TPG's do their magic and its great, if we do it it's called altering a coin. I'm the best grader I know, I buy the coin not the slab. TPG's can "Kiss My Grits."

 

...and hominy grits?

Me: Oh, I don't know, about thirty or forty!

 

That's the way it should be but many don't.

 

Please let us know.

 

I find photos of whole slab virtually useless. I am buying coin, not the holder unless the holder is damaged so that I can’t enjoy the coin. A bad holder can prompt me to pass. The reholder option is much more expensive than it used to be.

 

Considering I got blown away AGAIN in last nights auction I should probably keep my mouth shut. However, the G.C. photo is just a starting point. You click on the photo and you get a picture you can resize up to the size of a dinner plate if you so wish. Now forget I said anything and go bid on E-Bay or anywhere else I don't!

 

The most important part of an auction photograph is the consistency. Having seen x coins in photos and in hand, you can map the x+1 coin to a better approximation of how it will look in hand.

People love PCGS' TrueViews but don't realize they are glamour shots designed to present the coin in the best possible view. Which is less useful for general buying.

 

Is your pantry also stocked with henways?

 

Yes the PCGS True Views are “glamour shots.” They make many coins look better than they are. Heritage has started to use some TPG photos for their auction lots, and that not good. Perspective bidders don’t want “glamour shots.” They want the truth.

 

Yeah, about 2 lbs worth!

Btw, I should have acknowledged Mary Tyler Moore & Dick Van Dyke on the "grits" bit!

 

Can't argue with that, but: At least the TruViews are in focus when you download them and blow them up. You can download G.C. photos but they will blur out before you get anywhere close to the degree of magnification many of us need and/or want to make determinations. Same with some well-known dealers. But, some dealers have excellent photos.

It may be that G.C. digital photo files that they create internally are really good with high resolution at high magnification (doubt it) but the files posted for auction are reduced dramatically in file size and resolution to save server space and money? I don't know what the reason is but it's simply unacceptable to me and causes me to pass on many coins.

It's interesting that GC will post only a full slab photo of some coins but will post full slab and cropped coin-only photos for other coins. It's not always dependent upon the anticipated value of the coin. And those cropped photos may or may not be better focus or resolution. Maybe the seller has to pay for better photos?

 

Thought we were talking about toughs photos. They are much more in depth, and show the details a bit better.
Gc only missed it with the F stop and contrast. For a stock/basic photo, they didn't miss too bad.

 

I recall seeing a section that listed an additional fee for those cropped photos but I can't find it now. From what I recall it was an extra $3 or $5 fee.

 

I'm not seeing any options on images on the GC site or forms.

 

It might be one of those things that you have to contact them directly about. I see an occasional listing with the extra cropped photos but don't know the process to get those.

 

I'll ask. I just sent them a group of coins. Easy folks to deal with.

 

I believe the issue is not the size, but the care taken setting up the photo. This is a screen capture from GC that I cropped a bit. You can zoom in very well to examine the coin in great detail.

I imagine that all holders are put into a jig to speed up photographing all the coins they post each week. For some coins this may be good for showing toning, for other s it isnt.