I would give the nod to your photo. NGC obviously cares more about how their slab appears in the photo than the coin within it. You care more about the coin which is the most important part.
Yours.... Hands down. I think @jtlee321 was dead on the mark. Their photography showcases their slab.
In concept of 'right', I'm mostly that...........and I like the photog on the right better than the one on the left [phooey].
Your photo is far superior as theirs is obscured by shadows all over, and doesn't show the red in it's full redness.
That slab's reference number has a lot of 7s, which is great for "slab poker." 4 of a kind and 2 pair. Not bad
To be fair, NGC doesnt charge for imaging. They do it for free, and it makes trying to pass off a counterfeit holder much much harder. Kudos to them for worrying less about glamour shots and more about the hobby itself
I agree that yours is better. I've come to dig NGC's photos as well though- they seem pretty consistent and offer more of a no-frills view compared to a lot of dealer photos. Nice to have that perspective available as well when making online purchases in their slabs.
It's the old saying you buy the coin and not the number. The more CRUDE a coin's manufacturing method the less reliable is the grading by NGC and PCGS. They do serve an important purpose being in a coin's authenticity and most casual collectors do have a good point in the saying - today if a coin is not in a slab there may be something wrong with it? Recently - venturing into Cental Amaerican Provincial rarities and of course here I am finding the TPG grading is a joke. A recent AU50 Honduras 4 Real shows no wear under a stereo microscope. Some of the top end pieces are graded 50-58 - sort of covering themselves from 60+ since it is difficult telling weakly struck areas of a coin's surface to actual circulation wear - TPG's #1 nemesis all along as with all Colonial type manufactured coins which are irregularly struck in a screw press. This comparison here is like the inquiry IMO what is your preference on a Morgan - brilliant white or rainbow toned? John Lorenzo Numismatist United States
Yours, without a doubt. What type of lighting did you use? I see what appears to be LED reflections on each side of the slab. How did you keep the glare from hitting the slab?
I like yours a lot! I do wonder what NGC new photograde service would do. Its only $7.50 and from what I've seen, looks great!
I use a Dino-Lite Photo box like the one pictured below, without the microscope. I place the slab on the bottom and shoot down through the big hole, where the microscope wire is going down through. The position of the lights is just right to keep the glare off the slab.
