A View Often Overlooked - EdgeView™ Photography Method - Lots of New Pics Inside
Cladiator
Posts: 18,040 ✭✭✭✭✭
I've yet to locate one of the Logan half dime edge mirrors so I decided to try out the poor mans version I'd heard about. This method is "new to me" as I have not tried it before. This effect is created by taking the reflector cone out of a small flashlight. Sit the cone (large end up) on a flat surface and place your coin into the cone. Then simply illuminate and photograph. Works pretty darn good I think.
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Millertime
Complete Dime Set
Got a lettered edge coin you can try next?
Sean Reynolds
"Keep in mind that most of what passes as numismatic information is no more than tested opinion at best, and marketing blather at worst. However, I try to choose my words carefully, since I know that you guys are always watching." - Joe O'Connor
<< <i>That is a cool shot, but what exactly is it showing? >>
The reeded edge is just outside the rim of the half dime
Didn't wanna get me no trade
Never want to be like papa
Working for the boss every night and day
--"Happy", by the Rolling Stones (1972)
<< <i>Probably nice for counting reeds. >>
Excellent for counting reeds. Just print out the photo and mark the reeds off with a pen as you count them.
The circular image can be "unrolled" in Photoshop.
Russ Logan wrote an article on how to build an edge mirror for imaging. I think it was in the J.R. Journal. But I must say that your image turned out well. Very cool.
<< <i>
<< <i>Probably nice for counting reeds. >>
Excellent for counting reeds. Just print out the photo and mark the reeds off with a pen as you count them. >>
True, it would be ideal. A rigged up thing for a flatbed scanner would make going through a bag of Morgans fairly straightforward. Write a little image recognition program then to count the reeds from a low res gif scan. I am going to have to do that now.
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Nice job Cladiator.
Great transactions with oih82w8, JasonGaming, Moose1913.
I'm definitely going to do some experimenting when i get home this evening.
I've got a lettered edge Half that is just beggin' me to try this on.
I'm looking forward to that....
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution
<< <i>Very cool, now if we could only accomplish this with PCGS slabbed coins! >>
snip snip, crack.
1969s WCLR-001 counterclash
<< <i>Maybe the TPG's should come up with a premium slab that has a small ring mirror in the slab around the the coin that would show the edge like that. >>
I submitted a question to Q&A regarding this, since next year PCGS will be slabbing lots of presidollars. No response. What might work better than a mirror in this case is a clear, refractive collar beveled on the outside, so that a cross section looked like a triangle. This might allow the edge to be viewed fairly easily. The NGC approach also works, but about 1/3 of the edge detail is covered.
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution
Supplies: 1 Coin, 1 Flashlight
Close up of coin and reflector cone
Distance shot of coin in reflector cone
Uncropped final image
Final image with excess mirror cropped out and a black background
The ring mirror in a slab shouldn't be impossible
siliconvalleycoins.com
Rich:
That's about as nice a photograph as I have ever seen of the edge reeding of a Bust half dime. All too often the 'third die' is completely ignored when studying and attributing half dimes, yet there is much to be learned from the edges. Mark Smith knew this all too well, and that is why Russ Logan and John McCloskey honored him with the invitation to join them in co-authoring the half dime book. I was with Mark the day they asked him to collaborate on the book, and he was truly humbled that they thought his extensive research into the collars and edge reeding was worthy of publication. Regrettably, Mark did not live to see the final product, but his research proved vitally important in determining the emission sequence, and was an important addition to the quality and comprehensive nature of the book. It was fitting that they chose to dedicate the book to Mark.
I was a guest at Russ Logan's home just one year before he died, and we spent an entire weekend just 'talking half dimes'. I had the distinct privilege of looking at Russ' entire collection 'up close and personal'. We discussed rare marriages, remarriages, and the minting processes 'til the wee hours of the morning. I wanted to give something back to this generous man who had taught me so much, shared his great knowledge, and served as my mentor for so many years, so I brought with me this neat little suggestion of using a reflector from a common household flashlight to photograph or study the edge reeding of coins under a microscope. I had only recently learned that little piece of information, and thought that I might finally have something useful to give back to Russ. He listened attentively as I discussed the use of the reflector, but when I finished telling him of this intriguing and very useful application of a flashlight reflector, he seemed very unimpressed. He said "Well, I suppose you could do that. Or .......... you could use an edge mirror". I inquired as to what this 'edge mirror' might be, and he blew my mind by showing me several examples of edge mirrors, precision manufactured for each of the Bust coin denominations and diameters. They were simply a small ring of metal with an inside diameter just slightly larger that the outside diameter of the coin being studied. The inside surface of the ring was cut on a bias of 45 degrees from the perpendicular, and was a highly polished, mirror-like surface. The edge mirror was simply dropped around the diameter of a coin under the microscope, and the edge reeding was reflected straight up into the microscope lens, just as in your photograph. It seems that Russ had invented them a few years earlier, and actually manufactured them at his company, Inovent Engineering in Cleveland. He gave me a half dime edge mirror, which I have used and treasured ever since. Since Russ' passing, the last remaining edge mirrors were sold in one bulk lot at the B&M auction of his magnificent collection, and because of the generosity of his widow, Brenda, and that of B&M, the full proceeds went directly to the JRCS treasury. And due to the incredible generosity of the high bidder, once sold, they were returned to the auction to be sold individually to interested collectors. Just one of many great legacies and stories from this great man.
<< <i>I just posted this response to Cladiator on the Bust coin forum, but thought it would also be appropriate here:
Rich:
That's about as nice a photograph as I have ever seen of the edge reeding of a Bust half dime. All too often the 'third die' is completely ignored when studying and attributing half dimes, yet there is much to be learned from the edges. Mark Smith knew this all too well, and that is why Russ Logan and John McCloskey honored him with the invitation to join them in co-authoring the half dime book. I was with Mark the day they asked him to collaborate on the book, and he was truly humbled that they thought his extensive research into the collars and edge reeding was worthy of publication. Regrettably, Mark did not live to see the final product, but his research proved vitally important in determining the emission sequence, and was an important addition to the quality and comprehensive nature of the book. It was fitting that they chose to dedicate the book to Mark.
I was a guest at Russ Logan's home just one year before he died, and we spent an entire weekend just 'talking half dimes'. I had the distinct privilege of looking at Russ' entire collection 'up close and personal'. We discussed rare marriages, remarriages, and the minting processes 'til the wee hours of the morning. I wanted to give something back to this generous man who had taught me so much, shared his great knowledge, and served as my mentor for so many years, so I brought with me this neat little suggestion of using a reflector from a common household flashlight to photograph or study the edge reeding of coins under a microscope. I had only recently learned that little piece of information, and thought that I might finally have something useful to give back to Russ. He listened attentively as I discussed the use of the reflector, but when I finished telling him of this intriguing and very useful application of a flashlight reflector, he seemed very unimpressed. He said "Well, I suppose you could do that. Or .......... you could use an edge mirror". I inquired as to what this 'edge mirror' might be, and he blew my mind by showing me several examples of edge mirrors, precision manufactured for each of the Bust coin denominations and diameters. They were simply a small ring of metal with an inside diameter just slightly larger that the outside diameter of the coin being studied. The inside surface of the ring was cut on a bias of 45 degrees from the perpendicular, and was a highly polished, mirror-like surface. The edge mirror was simply dropped around the diameter of a coin under the microscope, and the edge reeding was reflected straight up into the microscope lens, just as in your photograph. It seems that Russ had invented them a few years earlier, and actually manufactured them at his company, Inovent Engineering in Cleveland. He gave me a half dime edge mirror, which I have used and treasured ever since. Since Russ' passing, the last remaining edge mirrors were sold in one bulk lot at the B&M auction of his magnificent collection, and because of the generosity of his widow, Brenda, and that of B&M, the full proceeds went directly to the JRCS treasury. And due to the incredible generosity of the high bidder, once sold, they were returned to the auction to be sold individually to interested collectors. Just one of many great legacies and stories from this great man. >>
MrHalfDime, you are an eloquent writer/speaker. That story really brought tears to my eyes. I knew Russ as well, although not as well as many others in our hobby. However just talking with him at shows, one would quickly get the true sense of this man's passion; numismatics......especially early Federal. Nuff' said....
<< <i>
<< <i>Very cool, now if we could only accomplish this with PCGS slabbed coins! >>
snip snip, crack.
Mine goes "bzzzzzz bzzzzzz bzzzzzz dink" (I use a Dremel)
Cladiator, than you for sharing this terrific idea
My OmniCoin Collection
My BankNoteBank Collection
Tom, formerly in Albuquerque, NM.
<< <i>Cladiator, thank you for sharing this terrific idea >>
No problem but I can't take credite for the idea. I got the idea from folks on this forum
President, Racine Numismatic Society 2013-2014; Variety Resource Dimes; See 6/8/12 CDN for my article on Winged Liberty Dimes; Ebay
<< <i>Very Cool, now how do you do it if a coin is slabbed? >>
Get some snips, crack it out and it's easy as pie.
Couple of you folks said you were gonna try this on some coins. Any results you can share?
<< <i>So that was for a half dime. Do you need a large flashlight for a dollar coin?
I would assume so.
-Fuzz
The reason I would do this is I visualize the image as something I could wrap around a blank planchet, so the imaged part of the edge near the front surface would be up and the outer edge of the image would be near the table. Does that make sense? The way the reflector cone shows the edges, the edge near the table is nearest the imaged face.
Aaron