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Which photo do you like better? ...... and GTG *** Revealed ***
BryceM
Posts: 11,851 ✭✭✭✭✭
This coin is a pretty tough one to photograph well. Here are a couple of different techniques. I'm not sure I've hit it perfectly yet. Advice, comments, critique, and ideas are of course welcome.
Also, GTG if you'd like. No cheating! I'll post it later this evening.
Also, GTG if you'd like. No cheating! I'll post it later this evening.
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Edited to add: I like the 2nd set of pics better.
Too many positive BST transactions with too many members to list.
<< <i>I like the 2nd one better. It looks less dirty. I will go 64 on the grade. >>
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Coin collecting is not a hobby, it's an obsession !
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Nice coin.... and I'm guessing it's a 64
Happy, humble, honored and proud recipient of the “You Suck” award 10/22/2014
I'd be surprised if it graded a 65.
"“Those who sacrifice liberty for security/safety deserve neither.“(Benjamin Franklin)
"I only golf on days that end in 'Y'" (DE59)
As far as the GTG, it is pretty clean for this notoriously ugly D/MM combination.
and it looks like it has some booming luster..
PCGS 65 ..maybe 65+
NGC 66
I'm a sucker for luster
Greg
<< <i>Alright - To appease Goldilocks, here's one that's hopefully "just right".
<< <i>I much prefer the second photo for the lighting Bryce.
Nice coin.... and I'm guessing it's a 64 >>
I like the last "just right photo"......64+ maybe 65......nice coin
Keep trying.
I posted this coin in response to the other thread discussing the Morgan that was cracked and submitted to another grading service for their opinion. On that thread it was interesting to me how VERY tough people were being on that piece. I thought this one would get responses in the 63/4 range and I'm not too surprised.
Now, I'm absolutely not going to argue that this is the best 66 in the world. I don't think it is. It's certainly no 63 or 64 though. I've played around with trying to photograph this coin for a while. As you can tell, different lighting brings out different looks. All three of thise images were shot with two halogen lamps. The first has the lights at 10 and 2 o'clock. The second is with the lights roughly at 12 and 3 o'clock. The third "just right" shot was the same as #1 except for a little longer exposure time. I tried a single light and 2 lights with strong diffusion. Those results weren't too impressive.
All of these shots tend to over-emphasise the little luster grazes that this coin has and it makes them look like deep gouges. In-hand, this coin has very fine chatter over the portrait and the reverse fields. The cheek and neck look remarkably good. Maybe I'll figure out how to capture it right eventually. The coin has very nice strong luster and a prooflike reverse. Strike on the eagle's chest is also a little stronger in-hand than the photos would suggest. The only thing I would even call a hit is the small mark above Liberty's eye.
Still skeptical?
Check out the 1900-O in PCGS MS66+ CAC on Legend's site. To be clear, I'm in no way affiliated with them or the coin. I just came across it tonight in my wanderings. It's absolutely a MUCH nicer coin than this 1904-O and they do a superb job with their photography, but there are still plenty of imperfections visible in the photos. I'm guessing that if posted here as a "GTG" it would receive 64/65 guesses.
Coin photography is a funny thing. Trying to grade based only on photos is OK, provided the limitations are understood.
After all this, I think the photo that I prefer is number 2, the one I took several months ago for my registry type set page.
"“Those who sacrifice liberty for security/safety deserve neither.“(Benjamin Franklin)
"I only golf on days that end in 'Y'" (DE59)