Photographing copper thru NGC plastic is like...

shylock

...watching HDTV through ¼ inch thick goggles. Obviously all slabs devalue the true look of a coin but there's something about the NGC plastic/white incert/copper combo that brings out the worst in a digital camera (and those trying to use it). The first pic was the best I could do after half an hour's worth of images, the second pic took about a minute after freeing the coin from its tomb. Sorry to use a darkside coin here but that's the only NGC copper I could experiment on.

Islemangu made a great point in a related forum post. If you image your coins and happen to be cracking a few out, take advantage of the opportunity. This also shows how you can't compare images of raw vs. certified coins.

Gonfunko

WOW! That's incredible!

Russ

Marty and I were just talking about this. The NGC plastic also obscures contrast for cameo coins making them more difficult to capture accurately. All slabs do the same thing, but to a lesser degree, so a raw shot is always going to be better.

Here's another example in and out of the slab. In this case, PCGS:





The first image took 20 to 25 shots before I had one I was happy with. The second image, two or three.

Russ, NCNE

Russ

Here's a comparison of the same coin in an NGC slab and a PCGS slab:





Capturing the same coin took radically different lighting and angles simply based on the construction of the slab. It also took far more shots with the NGC slab than the PCGS slab.

Russ, NCNE

JRocco

Good post. Thanks shylock and Russ for the great examples.

cosmicdebris

Paul I hear you. I hate trying to image copper through a NGC slab. I was trying to do an Indian Head yesterday. This was the best I could do and the color is still not quite right. At least I was able to capture the luster. It ain't mine to crack out either so I had to settle.

mgoodm3

here's your first pic, tweaked a bit.

mgoodm3

A couple of my favorite copper pics are in NGC. Edited: raw is way easier.

jom

I, again, reiterate my thinking that NGC really ought to change their slabs to a dark, non-reflective slab OR transparent like PCGS's. With the rise in Ebay sales for coins and on-line sales with coin dealers good images are increasingly important. So when an auction house has 100s of coins for sale do you really think they are going to take the time to get good slab photos from NGC graded coins? In most cases, no.

jom

Gonfunko

<< <i>I, again, reiterate my thinking that NGC really ought to change their slabs to a dark, non-reflective slab OR transparent like PCGS's. With the rise in Ebay sales for coins and on-line sales with coin dealers good images are increasingly important. So when an auction house has 100s of coins for sale do you really think they are going to take the time to get good slab photos from NGC graded coins? In most cases, no.

jom >>


But does NGC really want people to get good pictures of coins in their holders? After all, NGC has that Photo-Proof service whereby they take the picture for an extra $20 or so.....maybe they want more people to use it.

shylock

Jom - Interesting idea that makes a lot of sense. The better their product looks in dealer's and auction house's listings, the better that reflects on them. The new vacuum sealed NGC slabs also tend to bulge out in the center, making them prone to scuff marks in that area.

I'm sure some of the older collectors here roll their eyes at all the plastic nitpicking

DHeath

Paul, great post. It's not just the camera that's affected. Many coins look better to my eye out of the plastic. Cameo's are much brighter out of the holder. At best, the plastic is unobtrusive.

Lakesammman

Top raw, bottom slab......

jom

<< <i>But does NGC really want people to get good pictures of coins in their holders? After all, NGC has that Photo-Proof service whereby they take the picture for an extra $20 or so.....maybe they want more people to use it. >>



I don't buy the cynical arguement there. I think that photo proof thing will be a thing of the past eventually. What with the VERY low cost of doing your OWN photos. I just think it is in their best LONG TERM interest to go with a better slab for this purpose. Ever look at NGC coins at Heritage auction website? The pics are terrible....unless it is some high end coin they took the time to get a special photo for.

jom