Can a coin be photogenic? I think it can. I have coins which looks great at hand but looks terrible when it is photographed or vice versa. The following coin I acquired recently was a tricky one to photograph. I tried so hard but couldn't manage to get it beautiful toning right. Second image shows how it really looks. In this example the toning layer at the surface was very thin apparently so that only at a certain angle it shines. Ilkhans, Abu Sa'id, AE Fals, Tabriz, 726 AH. (4.02g, 24 mm)
Opinions will vary but I am strongly of the opinion that there is a major difference between something being beautiful and being photogenic. Beauty contests often had a special award from photographers naming a contestant Miss Photogenic for being easy on the camera and one from contestants naming Miss Congeniality as the one that was easy to like. I have coins that are not at all high grade but that I believe take good photos. In some cases, their faults are part of the appeal of the image adding details to be recorded. One such coin is my fourree gold over copper solidus with wear through in a most pleasing outline. The contrast of the coin is easier to shoot than most ancient gold.
I totally agree and that's what I was trying to say. Some are beautiful but really hard to capture that. And that's a beautiful photograph of a beautiful coin!
Another category of ancient coins that tend to be easy to photograph are tose with 'sand' patina. We discuss them here many times often questioning whether the sand was original of glued on dirt to hide ugliness beneath. TIF even showed us a group of Alexandrian tetradrachms that had been smeared with human facial make up (Maybellene or other brand?). The contrast between the lighter cover the darker patina/metal below often allows a coin to be photographed with relatively little attention to lighting so they might be called photogenic.
The first picture in the opening post seems best for documentary purposes. It nicely shows the fabric and inscriptions. The second gives a glimp of the toning in hand. This certainly ads a "wow" factor. It is good to capture this because it tends to change over time as the coin repatinates after prior cleaning. I'd say that i like the two opening post coins equally, but for different reasons.
That's a beautiful Ilkhans, @altaycoins ! Do you have PhotoShop? If so, you can adjust the contrast so that you can make out the details better.
Sure I am using Adobe Photoshop in my workflow. But the image with the high contrast does not reflect the coin I have. I process the images in a way that it reflects the colors, tone and contrast of the coin in hand.
Hey I just received a coin from the Netherlands. A Probus bronze with some gold toning that looks great in hand, but hard to capture. I don’t have a decent setup yet so a phone pic will have to do.
Great coin! There not many ancient and medieval coin dealers in the Netherlands. Especially finding an Islamic coin is extremely hard. I generally use http://www.rondomons.nl/ from the Netherlands. Hans Verschoor, the owner, is a friendly and experienced seller.
I think I've posted this before - it's an Augustus denarius - RIC 252: I'm happy with that picture of it. In other photos, it doesn't look so great, especially the reverse: ATB, Aidan.
I like to think this handsome young fella MA AE As is photogenic! Marcus Aurelius AE26 As, Rome Mint, Struck 145 AD Obverse: AVRELIVS CAESAR AVG P II F COS II, Bare head right Reverse: [No legend], Minerva standing right, holding spear and resting hand on shield, S-C in field. References: RIC III (A. Pius) 1264, C 573 Size: 26.22mm, 11.47g And "MA AE As" is not to be confused with "MAMAEA", my other photogenic coin: Julia Mamaea Mother of Severus Alexander Ruling 222-235 AD AR Denarius, Struck Early 222 AD, Eastern Mint Obverse: IVLIA MAMAEA AVG (unbroken), draped bust right Reverse: IVNO CONSERVATRIX, Juno diademed standing left, holding patera and sceptre, peacock at feet References: RIC IV 343, RSC III 35, BMC 43, Sear 2310 Size: 20.5mm, 2.9g Imagine the beautiful coin babies they could make!
