Have you ever photographed a coin, and then you see a problem that you did not notice before?
Connecticoin
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Well, it looks like my photo here revealed a growing green blob on the date:
I think I submitted this coin in 2005 (it graded MS66) before I started soaking everything in acetone before submitting. This is why I now give coins a good acetone soak before submitting - the coin could have lived in a PVC flip or album in its lifetime which may sow the seeds of turning in the holder 
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Yes and yes.
High end photography revels all sorts of things.
PVC is a no go for me.
Several times. I’ve caught PVC a couple of times, corrosion one one coin and some verdigris that I didn’t notice before. On the last one I looked at the TV and it was clearly there as well and I just didn’t notice it. Since it was an international purchase and I noticed it a month or so later I figured nothing I could do about it. Here it is, look at fraternite in particular.
Yep! It's always a bummer to see, but good to find it.
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Definitely ... always shocking at first.
Dave
It happens to me frequently. When you blow your coin up to the size of a dinner plate you start seeing things.
Yes, and my photos aren’t really very good.
Other than the occasional dog hair hitching a ride on the coin, no problems yet (fingers crossed)
"When they can't find anything wrong with you, they create it!"
All the time! It’s amazing what you can see when you blow a dime up to the size of 20+ inches. Lol
Looking for Top Pop Mercury Dime Varieties & High Grade Mercury Dime Toners.
Oh, yeah. Lots.
Yes
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This 1903-s $10 has what looks like hairlines in front of liberty's face that werent visible in sellers photos, nor in hand honestly. Light has to catch it the right way to see them.
However I've recently come to see other high grade cac examples of this same date/mint with the same "hairlines" so I'm thinking they are actually... die polish lines?
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Yup, same lines in the same place makes them die polish lines. They're raised, instead of cut into the surface, but that's usually very difficult to ascertain.
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Now listen boy, I'm tryin' to teach you sumthin' . . . . that ain't no optical illusion, it only looks like an optical illusion.
My mind reader refuses to charge me....
Usually my images and lack of talent in this modern age of photography is punishment enough.
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Absolutely. First thing I do after I purchase a coin is to take a picture of it. Camera picks up things and it doesn’t lie.
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https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/
They look like hairlines to me based on the photo, but definitely need to see in-hand to confirm. There does seem to be some tolerance for hairlines on MS gold, but what that tolerance is is very challenging to figure out.
I agree. Before buying a slabbed coin, I look it over with a loupe. I always rotate the slab so the side I'm looking at is upside-down. Amazing how much more I pick up this way, I guess because my brain doesn't know what it's "supposed to see" as I work my way around the surface.
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Now listen boy, I'm tryin' to teach you sumthin' . . . . that ain't no optical illusion, it only looks like an optical illusion.
My mind reader refuses to charge me....
Here is another 1903-S next to mine. Photos not same resolution but good enough to see the lines are the same.
Back to the topic at hand... I didnt see the lines until I took a good photo.
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Yes, but it goes both ways. Years ago this coin was consigned to me as a plain old 1796 cent. I didn't look too hard at the details, and only when I saw the photo did I realize it was a LIHERTY, which is worth a lot more.
I have taken to screening all my coins using Live View and photos to decide the keepers. Folks say not to view coins at more than 5x for grading, but you can miss a whole lot of issues at 5x which then show up in a photo.
http://macrocoins.com
ALL the time, to the point that now I usually photograph new purchases prior to the final keep or return decision.
BTW, you can also spot really neat things too like RPMs and doubling that you might have missed.
It's better to have photography reveal these attributes, the good and the bad.
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Just happened to me this morning on a very expensive new purchase... but the coin is the size of a nickel and the image was a foot wide so being able to see a few pin scratches is completely normal.
Never saw the booger on his nose or the crack in his head til started coin photography
Sorry I can’t turn the dang pictures 😂
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Have you ever photographed a coin, and then you see a problem that you did not notice before?
My answer, is yes, with a thought. No one is perfect and that's why we have this tool (CU) with attachments (us).
Absolutely. Not only problems... but I've cherrypicked myself when a photo would show a variety or error that I did not notice before!!
There's been a few times, absolutely.
I give everything an acetone bath before submitting anything as well.
Star 3 supports that they are die polish lines. It runs perfectly across the star without appearing on the star itself.
Yup.
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All the time.
I actually have asked to take pictures with my phone at shows a few times if the dealer doesn't mind so I can really get a good look at a coins surface. I don't do it a lot but my eyes aren't what they used to be
It is amazing what you find when you do this especially on the smaller denominations.
Happens to me all the time.
It seems that especially fine scratches appear.
All the time! I have what appears to be a nice, extremely sharp coin only to find out that when I photograph it, its features are very blurry.
USAF (Ret) 1974 - 1994 - The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries. Remembering RickO, a brother in arms.
The coin is graded MS-64, not MS-66. You have to put things in perspective. As others have said, different lighting produces different results. You use 10X style magnification to detect possible problems, but for coins that grade below MS-66, you have to put it in perspective. Those marks on that MS-64 graded coin mean very little.
Coin photography has certainly come a long way in the last twenty years... and the the great benefit of collectors and the hobby in general. The camera, combined with enlargement of the picture, reveals many things not observed initially, or often even under 5x magnification. Cheers, RickO
My old iPhone 7 amazes me all the time. Agree being able to enlarge is awesome 🤓
🎶 shout shout, let it all out 🎶
FWIW that's a beautiful coin!
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Yes... and Yes! PVC and patches of corrosion are the usual suspects, but hairlines get revealed when you take multiple while adjusting the lighting...
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