Help! Coin photography trying to photograph couple rare coins

While flipping through some coins to see if I had a certain coin, I took a couple out to try and photograph or scan. I ended up taking out more.

What I used: Samsung Galaxy Note 20, no flash. With a strong lamp. And I tried my flatbed scanner.

And I was extremely nervous to take them out of the flip and handle them. The Didia Clara Sestertius had been a victim of a bronze disease outbreak, 20 years ago. I remember distinctly looking at it closely under magnification, so perhaps I accidentally breathed about it. Anyway, several coins were affected. I didn't have the information then that I do now, so I managed to arrest the bd by baking the coins, but it still left adhesions. I did notice that the bd mainly affected the already pitted part of the DC.

I had just awakened and my hands were as dry as they were going to be today. I also wore a glove while handling the coins and I didn't hold them anywhere near my face.

I did have a scare with a few Forum large Ptolemaic AE. They had a misty green (not the classic bd green) highlight, and I though I might have a BD outbreak, but looking at the original photos, they were exactly as they were 10 years ago.

The other coin; a rare, but decrepit example of a Volusian and Treb Gallus double vis-a-vis bust Viminacium Sestertius.

Oh, and I also took out a jeweled (orange) ancient signet stamp, which I picked up at a coin show. Photographing the sides isn't hard, but what about the signet? I ended up scanning that one, but I had to prop the lid as not to damage the stone. Perhaps someone can tell me the kind of stone when the photos come online; it's an orange stone with a loop for hanging on a string.

After breakfast, I'll try to start processing the pictures.

I noticed; the phone, although frustratingly, both were less than stellar at focusing on the pitted Didia Clara, took better pics than the scanner. The scanner just highlighted the flaws in the coins and made decent looking coins hideous.

The Didia Clara looks better in person, although it's rough. Relatively high grade, but the Tiber wasn't all that kind to it. (Tiber patina). Heavily pitted. Maybe VF by wear, but ugly.

I've always had trouble photographing coins. The battery's drained on the DSLR, and I didn't want to go through the hassle of waiting to recharge, or dragging out the AC in plug. The results really aren't any better on that. It's fine for photographing record labels, but I don't think I'd have super-different results for coins than before.

I'd really need a setup where I could have the right kind of directed light and keep the camera steady.

Oh, and just getting the final results to be the same size is a toughie.

I photographed some common Sassanians. I don't read squiggle, wondering if perhaps the rev will be clear enough to read the mint?

 

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And it's really time-consuming. I woke up at 11-something, and after flipping through some coins, looking for something, and photography experimentation on a half-dozen coins, it's 2:15PM.

And now I have a bunch of jpgs to edit.

Oh, and the phone's 108 MP. The scanner's 1200 dpi (above that takes forever) and the DSLR is 24MP.

 

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Speaking of photo setup... did you steady the phone on something or just use it by hand? When I was using my phone to photograph my coins I set it on a pint mason jar to steady it and used the camera timer to make sure it didn't shake when I pressed the button to take the pic.

 

Ah, I'll check it out.

The lack of a workspace is also a problem. I don't live in a small place, but there's nowhere really to set up a workstation.

Unless I repurpose my record label photography station; a decrepit 1940 Philco chairside radio (which was intended as a radio-coffee table). It's perfect for big record photography.

 

I just freestyled.

 

Might be worth trying something, even canned goods will work, to steady the phone. I was using an Iphone 7 and got pretty good results that way. The only reason I stopped using it was that it had trouble white balancing the pictures. Other than that I was pretty happy with my phone pics.

 

I do live in a small place... lol Its not much of a setup, I do it on the dining room table in our sunroom.

 

@nerosmyfavorite68 A thread about coin photography and no pictures??!

Seriously, though, I too have been wanting a better setup for my coin photography. Right now, I am just using my old Samsung S6 (I believe) and natural light. I tried using my DSLR but we don't have any lenses good for macro photography. If I can stop buying coins for once I'd like to pick up a good lens and some lighting equipment.

 

Still having my morning coffee, which got delayed.

I still have to slog through the raw pictures and struggle to get obverse and reverse to a similar size.

Oh, and question: what size is best to resize coin pics to?

 

Ah, but one factor which I forgot; my DSLR allows me to photograph in raw mode, which is much more editable than jpg.

I stupidly didn't do my research when I bough the thing; the salesman had sold me a useless telephoto lens, which really put me off photography. I purchased a faster, more appropriate lens a couple of years ago.

24 MP isn't 108, but plenty big for coin pics. The record label pics are enormous.

 

I went to crop one down, but am stuck at the what size do I make it stage?

At this point, I'm not putting in a tremendous amount of effort, as any such photo will only be an intermidiary until I improve my photography.

And how do people manage to match their obverse and reverse sizes? What's the best way to merge both into a single image?

I'm not a Photoshop expert, although I can do the bare basics. I have Photoshop CS5.

 

I tackled the easier one first, the signet stamp. It wasn't until the final edit that I realized that the signet part was probably upside down, and the final version is flipped.

It's quite small and the stone is a translucent orange. I purchased it at a reputable coin show, I think perhaps the same one that I purchased the nice Lysimachus Tet from Jon Kern. I can't remember if the signet came from him.

Can someone educate me on the stone and the right terminology? And perhaps even the region/what it is?

Here goes: (I still need help on what size to make the coins).

 

Here's an inexpensive approach or two. Maybe this will help.



Background color is important. The chartreuse backing reflected too much light and washed out the photo. I switched to blue in the demo and it improved the coin details. Flat black might be the best but consider the color of your subject coin and select what works best.

Solid base is important to steady the shot. Use the 2s delay if you want to help ensure a sharper image. Find a base that is at the focal length (optimal) for your phone's camera. Fill the viewer with the subject coin under magnification, but don't over do it or you will pixelate the photo.

Lighting is best when scattered from multiple directions. LED lights can be tricky too. You want it close enough to illuminate the subject coin, but not to cause glare. Also, the multiple lights help reduce shadows. Use filters to diffuse the light and reduce the glare. Coffee filters work and just about anything else that lets light pass through evenly. Don't start a fire though.

Build a shoebox photo setup. Using an old piece of glass from a picture frame, you can take the light horizontally and reflect it vertically onto your subject coin. This virtually eliminates shadows and provides even lighting.

Hang in there...photos are a challenge but part of the hobby. And mastering them can be fun. Good luck!!

 

Thanks for the tips.

The backing on the scanner is white, and I had to prop the lid open, as not to squish the stone. The scanner is fine for documents, but the light isn't really right for coins. I had much better results on my 1990s era scanner.

A signet stamp presents some difficulties; the side is easy enough to photograph, but how to photograph the signet side is tricky.

As far as the stamp, some kind of ibex?

 

Attempt #2. (scan at 1200 dpi, resized). The coin is glossier in person, but still equally ugly. This was one of the rare times that the scan made the coin look a little better. The scanned version of a Khrusru II drachm made a decent coin look really hideous, however.

The door of the scanner is white, but still came out gray.

The tag is the original tag, for information.

 

You might make out with the Samsung. I'm guessing your earlier scanner was a bulb and perhaps the new one uses LEDs. LEDs have gotten brighter (and less expensive) over the years, so the shift has been to LEDs for most lighting needs. Unless you can control brightness, you may be washing out your scans/shots.

 

The scanner is probably from the 2012-14 era, a hand-me-down from my folks. It's great for scanning docs, just not coins.

Scanner test on silver. Granted, the Khrusru has some flatness going on, but it made a coin with attractive irridescent toning look hideous.

 

You can make it out a bit yet. Try posting a photo from your Samsung.

 

Ok, once I get lunch done, I'll work on the photographed version.