Greetings. I buy now and then for a small collection and want to get better at buying coins online. That means I have to do a better job of buying from a coin photo. I'm wondering if you could offer your thoughts of the attached Franklin. I see areas of haze and maybe a touch of blue, but I'm not sure if they are from the photo itself or signs of discoloration of the coin. I assume the smaller spots are minor flaws in the case, but I also see some larger spots like the one above the N in UNITED at just above 9 o'clock. Otherwise, what else do you look for when you buy from a photo? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Here's the step order in which I evaluate an online coin image: 1) White Balance. Don't look at the coin first, look at the background. Is it the correct color for what it is? Predominantly, White Balance Fail on the photographer's part is either too yellow (dangerous for copper) or too blue (irritating for everything). This is an NGC slab, and the slab color is pretty darn close so I'm happy that the coin's color is also. 2) Is the coin round? The slightest tilt between coin/camera introduces distortions at these magnification levels, which screws up apparent feature sizes and spatial relationships, and makes attribution much more difficult because you can't trust your eyes. 3) Lighting. What angle is the light coming from, and how many were used? This hints at what may or may not be obscured by inappropriate lighting, especially hairlines. This one, I think, used one light at about 11:00 to the coin and as close to vertical as possible because the areas facing away from the light aren't deeply shadowed. The plastic of the slab has to be considered also because it'll diffuse the light in odd ways by comparison to a raw coin. 4) Sharpness. Look for smaller features - the bell bands, in this case - to figure how truly sharp the image is by comparison to "sharpening in postprocessing" sharp where there should be pixel evidence. This image is pretty sharp. The seller has done this coin-imaging thing before. All in all, it's a good effort for a Proof, which are difficult to depict. Knowing the shooter did well, you can be more liberal in your interpretation of the image, more believing that what you see is actually on the coin (although with the coin in a slab you also have to factor what may be on the slab instead of the coin, in this case - I think - the "haze" above DOL). After that, you fall back on your experience - nothing beats experience; it can't be "described" in a forum post - with that specific issue to understand the importance of what you're looking at. Me, I have too little experience with Franklin Proofs to offer competence, but I'd see this one as a somewhat skritchy lower-grade (PF63? 64?) example.
@SuperDave Now see, you have still NOT submitted an article for publication. THIS IS EXCELLENT! Best answer. Now expand it a little, add photos, and SEND TO THE NUMISMATIST c/o Editor: Barbara Gregory. DO IT - This week.
Coin is cloudy, a few hairlines and spots. The reverse is not as important as the obverse but I should be shocked if this side is graded over PR-64. I'll bet NGC graded it PR-65 .
LOL. Wow, you guys are good. Can I send all of my photos to you from now on? NGC graded it as a PR65 Cameo. Super Dave, thanks for the fantastic tips. You gave me some new ideas to consider.
If the image is good, and you see a scratch, look for a shadow of it on the coin. If you see a shadow in the proper position, then you know the holder is scratched and not the coin. If there are two photos you can check if the mark is in the same place relative to the coin features. Also, if a scratch is on the plastic it will be continuous and even, and not affected by the surface contours as when something runs across a coin.
These two photos show some lighting effects. They also illustrate that multiple photos can reveal more in tandem to help assess the true state of affairs. The first shows haze and scratches. But you can disregard the scratches at 5 o'clock because they run right off the edge of the cent. The second shows how the haze near OF AM is gone and was just a lighting artifact. These also show the white balance differences mentioned above. Look at the plastic prongs that hold the cent. The second one is noticeably pinker. If you have a photo editor you can capture the online photo and readjust it yourself to reduce the color cast.
Your example also shows the effect of not being completely on top of the coin and/or not using a very small aperture. By this I mean a segment of the coin is in sharp focus while the opposite side is every so slightly blurred. You can reduce this effect without being directly on top of the coin by stopping down your aperture to around 14 and putting a delay on the shutter for 2 to 3 seconds to reduce whatever shake may occur due to the mirror slap (this also requires a good steady tripod). Stopping down the aperture will widen your center of focus so that you can maintain a slight angle from the coin but yet all aspects of the coin will be in focus.
And one more... Often the photos are scaled down by your browser for display. Do a Save As Picture to your local storage, then open at full resolution to do all the great things that @SuperDave suggested. If you can also correct flaws of the original photo then your decision will be on firmer footing.
Yeah, I rolled the dice, especially not having the obv imaged. That said, I think it's a solid 65. 64's are much uglier when it comes to CAM/DCAM
Great advice! The autofocus is actually on the case, not the coin, as well. My picture is better as a guide to learn from, which turned out OK for this thread.
