Post Your Most Difficult to Photograph Coin!

I have one coin in my collection that I really like in hand but I just can't seem to get a good photo of no matter how many photos I take. It got me to thinking that it might be a fun idea for a thread to have everyone post their coins that have been really camera shy along with a few of the attempts

Fail

Double fail...


Still not good.

My best so far.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

this should be fun><

 

This one...I still have not taken one I like enough to post here. Below is the seller's photo. It is a solidus of Justinian. In fact this is not a great shot. the coin looks at least ten times better in hand. Does anyone else have problems taking photos of gold coins?

 

oh yeah i do.. prolly cause i don't have any><

 

Love how it looks like she is crying on the back

 

If the coin is 10 times better than the picture then all I can say is wow what a find! Plus it being a Justinian I makes it that much cooler for history value alone. I haven't had as much trouble with gold photos. I mostly struggle on silver coins with rough surface like the above. I just can't get them to shine like some of them do in hand.

 

This was the hardest to get a good shot for me.

 

No matter how many times I try, I can't get a good photo of this coin. The two-color patina makes the surface look all corroded when actually it's just lighter in color. There's just as much detail in the lighter areas as the darker, but in all the photos I've taken of this coin it looks like the lighter areas are just crumbling away. Too bad, because this coin is a duplicate for me, and I'd like to sell it, but it looks like a piece of junk in the photos, so of course, no one's interested.

Bronze Nummus of Constantine I, ("the Great"), (A.D. 307-337).
London mint, A.D. 310 - 312.
RIC 133 (Scarce).
Obv: CONSTANINVS P F AVG.
Rev: ADVEN-TVS AVG - Prince on horse, hodling spear; captive in front.
PLN in exergue; [star] in right field.
22 mm, 3.1 g.

 

this silver scyphate himyarite coin is HORRIBLE to photograph. i've taken a zillion pics, none of them are as good as the sellers.



i haven't tried in a couple of years, so i may give this one a go again.

 

I had a bear of a time trying to photograph this tiny coin of Azes II. This is definitely at the top of the list of coins to rephotograph in the future as the picture doesn't come close to doing it justice. I need to upgrade to a good digital camera and LED lighting, and maybe put together a box or another professional rig to get this right.

 

Yup, those coins with slightly rough, very glossy surfaces make you want to throw your camera on the ground and stomp on it, lol - and scyphates.

 

LOL, that is why I fall back to YOUR photos when I fail.

 

This is one of those difficult to photograph coins I have. An as of Trajan with Trajan crowned by Victoria.

This is the best picture I have been able to take of it - the color is correct but I am just unable to capture the intricate detail of the coin.

 

Even if those pictures don't represent the coin well I can still tell that there is excellent detail, particularly on the reverse. Great coin.

 

This one always comes out pretty bad in pics

 

Here's my most irritating to photograph coin. No matter what I do, the light just seems to amplify the roughness.

 

Years ago I really fought with this one. The problem is caused by the shiny green patina. Keeping it the right color and not overemphasizing surface irregularities forced me to try several times. I have not shot this coin again for several years. Perhaps I do not want to know if I could do better or not???

First Photo Try

Nero, 54-68 AD, Dupondius, Lugdunum Mint, Securitas seated reverse, 13.2g. Invert (6 o'clock) axis
This coin looks better 'in hand' than in the photos. It is difficult to shoot a good color image of a shiny patina. The reflections tend to appear a cooler in the image than the natural color but can not be corrected simply by adjusting the overall color of the image without introducing other color problems. My first attempt failed to capture the true look of the coin. It is actually an image of the glare from the coin more than a record of the surfaces themselves. Millenium Sear illustrates a similar (but much higher grade) coin with glossy surfaces as number 1968. This can be effective in black and white but usually fails in color. I will need to photograph this coin several times before I get it 'just right'.

Second Photo Try

Same Coin, Different Lighting

A small variation in lighting angle can make a big difference in the reflections on the coin surfaces. The second improved the color balance between highlights and shadow areas but overemphasized surface variations introducing color shadings not seen on the coin itself. At the same time, the second image fails to capture the bold legends as seen in the first and on the coin itself. The difference between the two was a only small change in lighting angle. Can either (both?) of these be a fair representation of the coin? The goal is an image that tells the truth rather than on fooling the viewer into believing the subject is better or worse than it is. The glare on top of the head is really offensive to me.


Third Photo Try

Same Coin, Again

Another try differs from the last with yet another minor change in lighting angle and the addition of a diffusing tissue to soften the light. The result is somewhere between the two earlier tries in several respects and captures the actual appearance of the coin better than either. The image may not be considered as attractive as the first since it does not hide the surface variations present on the coin (but exaggerated by the second try).



Fourth Photo Try



The next attempt shows the result of even more diffusing the lighting used for the photo. In place of the small (almost 'point') light source used for the other images, this was taken with a broad light from two screw base florescent bulbs reflected by a large silver cone. The result was a reduction of the high point glares and a more accurate rendition of the color of the coin made possible by the elimination of the excessively blue highlights. Whether or not it is the most pleasing, this is the most accurate image of the coin.

 

I think your first was the better of them all when all is considered. Sure there are some things better on the second than on the first or the fourth moreso than the third. But the first looks best to me.

 

Struggling with this Roman Republic Quadrans

Sunlight



flashlight




TL & spotlights

 

what a beauty so hard to make a picture from all the details