Welcome, Jim!!! We're delighted to have you over here ... showing off and all!! Those are some lovely coins ... you can just feel the Dark oozing out of them!
My 1915 10 centime is also a mint state coin, but not nearly as sharply struck as Darkhorse's. Some of the lettering is so weak as to be illegible. Maybe quality control was not a big factor in 1915, since France was preoccupied with WWI.
Another classic French coin of that era is the 1 Franc:
Welcome to the Forum, Tipping! An interesting coin! I've never seen the word "of" in the legend so mislocated in a US coin before. Your photographs look nice and sharp, although there is a lot of color variance, tending toward purple. In which of your photos is the coin's color most realistically captured? I think I would also have included a full shot of the obv.
Xmas all over:LOL. Today was the first time I saw and read it,I dont travel to the dark side very often And thought it was worth a bump,great reading,and very educational. Al
I quite agree, especially since I have the pleasure of looking at that French 10C whenever I want, having purchased it in Darkhorses's auction some time ago!
One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by inferiors. – Plato
Go to Walmart and buy a plain white lampshade (no pleats, no nothing, just a plain white lampshade). Go home. Remove the part that connects to either the light bulb or the light stand so that all you have left is the shade. Set the coin down and place the lampshade over the coin. Mount the camera either on a stand or tripod so that it is aimed at the coin thru the opening in the top of the shade. Shine 2-3 lights thru the side of the shade. Take picture. You will get the blackest mirrors and most beautful contrast pictures that you have ever seen - perfect way to take proofs that are DCAM - you don't get reflections from the lights because the light is perfectly difussed by the shade.
My thanks to the great Mad one for this technique!!!
(edit because I can't spell)
Cecil Total Copper Nutcase - African, British Ships, Channel Islands!!! 'Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup'
Thank ya, i've been buying a local dealer out for about a month now, i've still got plenty more coins to go though before I grab up all the austrian and german stuff
I took the folowing pic of a proof gold coin using the 'lampshade method' - tell me what you think:
Cecil Total Copper Nutcase - African, British Ships, Channel Islands!!! 'Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup'
I tried the concentric circles within squares method and then manipulating the perspective in Photoshop, but I found it it to be far too much work (IMO). I prefer doing the angled glass.
Great thread! I wonder what happened to Darkhorse and Askari?
<< <i>Experimentation iz fun. >>
We could make this an official "Photoshop tips and tricks" thread for macro photography. I have a couple of books coming on the subject which can provide some additional information.
I found another trick to this abovementioned method, as well. This is pretty much the same as Darkhorse described, except you don't have to have "guides" pre-printed on the surface, on which the coin is positioned, but using guides option in Photoshop to outline the rectangle around the coin during editing. Once that's done, it's easy to select the coin itself with eliptical tool. Now, instead of free-transforming it - hit copy. When you do that, Photoshop remembers the dimentions of the copied area and when you go to File->New, it populates the dimentions of the file as parameters of the new file. Since the coin was shot at an angle, its' width is greater than it's height, so in the "New File" screen you'll have an option of, for example, width: 1100 and height 900. If you create the new file as a perfect square (change the height to 1100 to match the width) it becomes very easy to stretch the height to create the perfect circle. In fact, it's even easier if you have a "Snap To" option turned on for canvas edges.
Great thread! I wonder what happened to Darkhorse and Askari?
Darkhorse is PCGS's imager extraordinaire (if things haven't changed recently) and Askari (boy do I miss him!) was/is a collector of Exonumia (primarily medals) but had a lot to say about coins and medals in general; both individuals very informative and at one point stalwarts of this forum.
Askari and Phil, won't you gentlemen at least say hello?!?
One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by inferiors. – Plato
Comments
Come on over ... to The Dark Side!
WNC Coins, LLC
1987-C Hendersonville Road
Asheville, NC 28803
wnccoins.com
09/07/2006
Another classic French coin of that era is the 1 Franc:
Jim
ebay item #2214140892 nice close up pic.
thank you
www.wornoutboots@yahoo.com
Come on over ... to The Dark Side!
Dale,
Very Nice
FOR SALE Items
<< <i>ttt >>
OMG I thought it was Xmas again !!!
L
Today was the first time I saw and read it,I dont travel to the dark side very often
And thought it was worth a bump,great reading,and very educational.
Al
Come on over ... to The Dark Side!
is that you end up being governed by inferiors. – Plato
My OmniCoin Collection
My BankNoteBank Collection
Tom, formerly in Albuquerque, NM.
Awesome images.
Dr J
My omnicoin collection (or how my coin photography has progressed)
You've got to be kidding me...
No color manipulation - straight from my camera and used the distort tools to correct the angle.
It's perfect for toned coins !!!
My OmniCoin Collection
My BankNoteBank Collection
Tom, formerly in Albuquerque, NM.
I'm off to Wallmart to get a couple of desk Lamps.
So much for the experiments I did a while ago with the 45-degree tilted glass...
-JZ
Go to Walmart and buy a plain white lampshade (no pleats, no nothing, just a plain white lampshade). Go home. Remove the part that connects to either the light bulb or the light stand so that all you have left is the shade. Set the coin down and place the lampshade over the coin. Mount the camera either on a stand or tripod so that it is aimed at the coin thru the opening in the top of the shade. Shine 2-3 lights thru the side of the shade. Take picture. You will get the blackest mirrors and most beautful contrast pictures that you have ever seen - perfect way to take proofs that are DCAM - you don't get reflections from the lights because the light is perfectly difussed by the shade.
My thanks to the great Mad one for this technique!!!
(edit because I can't spell)
Total Copper Nutcase - African, British Ships, Channel Islands!!!
'Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup'
<< <i>Where do you get these tungston bulbs?
Another colorful attempt
Holy crap that's a beutifull coin.
My OmniCoin Collection
My BankNoteBank Collection
Tom, formerly in Albuquerque, NM.
Total Copper Nutcase - African, British Ships, Channel Islands!!!
'Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup'
My OmniCoin Collection
My BankNoteBank Collection
Tom, formerly in Albuquerque, NM.
<< <i>This technique is now property of Collectors Universe, any unauthorized utilization of said technique will result in legal action. >>
Now that Phil is a pro I'll bet he will sell this idea for about $45.
WNC Coins, LLC
1987-C Hendersonville Road
Asheville, NC 28803
wnccoins.com
<< <i> This technique is now property of Collectors Universe, any unauthorized utilization of said technique will result in legal action. >>
I'm going to buy a 51% stake in CLCT and make you work for Canadian Bank Tokens..........abtF condition only!!!
<< <i>This technique is now property of Collectors Universe, any unauthorized utilization of said technique will result in legal action. >>
Come and get me
My OmniCoin Collection
My BankNoteBank Collection
Tom, formerly in Albuquerque, NM.
<< <i>This technique is now property of Collectors Universe, any unauthorized utilization of said technique will result in legal action. >>
09/07/2006
Although Phil's original images are gone, you can pretty much glean what he was doing with the "Elliptical" technique.
In a nutshell, you will achieve excellent colour and better lustre with this than the 'angled glass' technique, at least in my experience.
The angled glass does lend itself to better depth of field, but flattens the lustre.
Of course, you will need correct white balance, lighting (OTTs are great), and positioning of lights, etc. In short, lots of practice.
Have fun, one and all.
FOR SALE Items
To each their own.
1/2 Cents
U.S. Revenue Stamps
This is missing the original images. Anyone do a 'print screen' of this at the time?
is that you end up being governed by inferiors. – Plato
<< <i>Experimentation iz fun. >>
We could make this an official "Photoshop tips and tricks" thread for macro photography. I have a couple of books coming on the subject which can provide some additional information.
I found another trick to this abovementioned method, as well. This is pretty much the same as Darkhorse described, except you don't have to have "guides" pre-printed on the surface, on which the coin is positioned, but using guides option in Photoshop to outline the rectangle around the coin during editing. Once that's done, it's easy to select the coin itself with eliptical tool. Now, instead of free-transforming it - hit copy. When you do that, Photoshop remembers the dimentions of the copied area and when you go to File->New, it populates the dimentions of the file as parameters of the new file. Since the coin was shot at an angle, its' width is greater than it's height, so in the "New File" screen you'll have an option of, for example, width: 1100 and height 900. If you create the new file as a perfect square (change the height to 1100 to match the width) it becomes very easy to stretch the height to create the perfect circle. In fact, it's even easier if you have a "Snap To" option turned on for canvas edges.
8 Reales Madness Collection
Darkhorse is PCGS's imager extraordinaire (if things haven't changed recently) and Askari (boy do I miss him!) was/is a collector of Exonumia (primarily medals) but had a lot to say about coins and medals in general; both individuals very informative and at one point stalwarts of this forum.
Askari and Phil, won't you gentlemen at least say hello?!?
is that you end up being governed by inferiors. – Plato