Phil Arnold joins GC

atom · November 27, 2023 3:17PM

How do you think his departure from
PCGS will affect their TrueView imaging, if at all?

bidask · November 27, 2023 4:24PM

I’m sure they made him an offer the could not refuse !

MacCrimmon · November 27, 2023 6:27PM

This is most excellent news considering I'm currently working on a huge consignment for submission to GC. It'll be nice to have high quality images.

Clio · November 28, 2023 12:36PM

Very sad he departed ways from PCGS. For the span of my collecting career, I solely submitted to PCGS for the benefit of his wonderful photography. I am happy for him and hope this job treats him better. Considering the workload at PCGS I imagine it felt like working at a fast-food joint.

tcollects · November 29, 2023 6:33AM

@Clio said:
Very sad he departed ways from PCGS. For the span of my collecting career, I solely submitted to PCGS for the benefit of his wonderful photography. I am happy for him and hope this job treats him better. Considering the workload at PCGS I imagine it felt like working at a fast-food joint.

1 interesting coin per 1000 SAEs - I'd gouge my eyes out with the nearest Jansjo lamp

neildrobertson · November 29, 2023 11:25AM

I think there is a more tangible value from photography on the sell side of coins as well. A lot of us got trueviews to aid in selling the coins. Hopefully his skills will continue to be appreciated.

SYRACUSIAN · November 29, 2023 12:23PM

For those who don’t know the story, Phil was a Darksider, passionate with coin photography and with a degree in graphic arts from Canada. In the second half of 2004, he went to Germany to look for a job, but all he managed to find was a part time position as an English teacher in Berlitz, and in some extremely boring and unknown place in Germany.

By the end of November 2004, he decided to go back to Canada, but I offered him a free return ticket Germany- Greece, free accommodation in a very cool apartment by the sea , asking him to photograph my collection and edit the images too, a task that we agreed that he’do at $1 per coin. It was a very sunny and warm December and he had saved the last day for sightseeing. Then he’d leave for Germany and Canada after that.

That’s when we both saw that PCGS was looking for a photographer. Having just imaged my entire collection with a little $50 camera with a microscopic zoom, he suddenly had created a portfolio too, which made the decision to return to California, Newport Beach instead of Canada even easier. The rest is history.

I still treasure his photos of the time or his collages that he did just to please me, I never asked for them nor had it occurred to me that some of my coins could have been presented this way, such as with this 1833 mint set.

And a couple of the many many individual images, a slabbed proof Ionian coin (PCGS PR65RB) and a raw English florin:

Who would have thought 19 years ago that he’d have such a brilliant future ? The entire universe conspired to give him that chance at the perfect timing and look at him today. I won’t post the photo of the two of us in 2004.

Farewell my friend.

SYRACUSIAN · November 29, 2023 12:27PM

@MacCrimmon said:
This is most excellent news considering I'm currently working on a huge consignment for submission to GC. It'll be nice to have high quality images.

What will it be Mac? Swiss beauties maybe?

ajaan · November 29, 2023 12:33PM

@SYRACUSIAN said:

@MacCrimmon said:
This is most excellent news considering I'm currently working on a huge consignment for submission to GC. It'll be nice to have high quality images.

What will it be Mac? Swiss beauties maybe?

I'm guessing Churchill Crowns.

OriginalDan · November 29, 2023 4:33PM

@tcollects said:

@Clio said:
Very sad he departed ways from PCGS. For the span of my collecting career, I solely submitted to PCGS for the benefit of his wonderful photography. I am happy for him and hope this job treats him better. Considering the workload at PCGS I imagine it felt like working at a fast-food joint.

1 interesting coin per 1000 SAEs - I'd gouge my eyes out with the nearest Jansjo lamp

And almost all of his shooting will be through slabs now right? Big change from shooting naked coins.

Bob13 · November 29, 2023 11:52PM

And now my submission moves to "Being Imaged."

MacCrimmon · November 30, 2023 3:39PM

@SYRACUSIAN said:

@MacCrimmon said:
This is most excellent news considering I'm currently working on a huge consignment for submission to GC. It'll be nice to have high quality images.

What will it be Mac? Swiss beauties maybe?

Nah, I've bought hardly anything since I sold my collection through Heritage in 2010. But during our recent move away from frigid Chicago I discovered about 200+ OBW rolls of 20th c. U.S. coinage which I had acquired from 1998 through 2005 on eBay when eBay wasn't loaded with fraudsters.

PhilArnold · December 4, 2023 6:35PM

Thank you @SYRACUSIAN for that trip down memory lane. Has it really been 19 years?

I’ve rejoined the board under my own name, and this is my first post. I thought it should be here - I’ve always been a darksider at heart.

Things are off too a great start at GreatCollections. I’m part of a wonderful, small team.

I’m also looking forward to reconnecting with you all as a fellow collector.

PhilArnold · December 4, 2023 6:39PM

double post. lol

bidask · December 4, 2023 8:20PM

@SYRACUSIAN said:

For those who don’t know the story, Phil was a Darksider, passionate with coin photography and with a degree in graphic arts from Canada. In the second half of 2004, he went to Germany to look for a job, but all he managed to find was a part time position as an English teacher in Berlitz, and in some extremely boring and unknown place in Germany.

By the end of November 2004, he decided to go back to Canada, but I offered him a free return ticket Germany- Greece, free accommodation in a very cool apartment by the sea , asking him to photograph my collection and edit the images too, a task that we agreed that he’do at $1 per coin. It was a very sunny and warm December and he had saved the last day for sightseeing. Then he’d leave for Germany and Canada after that.

That’s when we both saw that PCGS was looking for a photographer. Having just imaged my entire collection with a little $50 camera with a microscopic zoom, he suddenly had created a portfolio too, which made the decision to return to California, Newport Beach instead of Canada even easier. The rest is history.

I still treasure his photos of the time or his collages that he did just to please me, I never asked for them nor had it occurred to me that some of my coins could have been presented this way, such as with this 1833 mint set.

And a couple of the many many individual images, a slabbed proof Ionian coin (PCGS PR65RB) and a raw English florin:

Who would have thought 19 years ago that he’d have such a brilliant future ? The entire universe conspired to give him that chance at the perfect timing and look at him today. I won’t post the photo of the two of us in 2004.

Farewell my friend.

Wowee what a great backstory!

Welcome Mr Arnold thank you for posting here .

TwoKopeiki · December 5, 2023 9:12AM

@PhilArnold said:
Thank you @SYRACUSIAN for that trip down memory lane. Has it really been 19 years?

I’ve rejoined the board under my own name, and this is my first post. I thought it should be here - I’ve always been a darksider at heart.

Things are off too a great start at GreatCollections. I’m part of a wonderful, small team.

I’m also looking forward to reconnecting with you all as a fellow collector.

Welcome back Phil!!!

So, what are you collecting these days?

atom · December 5, 2023 1:00PM

Phil,
You are the BEST!
Now you need to author a book on the secrets of mastering coin photography.

1984worldcoins · December 6, 2023 1:58AM

Hello Phil, are you still on the atomic age collection?
The Marie Curie one (France, 1984) has lots of versions, got them almost all.

PhilArnold · December 7, 2023 7:14AM

@1984worldcoins My atomic age collection is on hold for the time being.

@TwoKopeiki I keep coming back to Canadian coins, but In dipping my tires into ancients and Mexican coins more and more.

ajaan · December 15, 2023 1:35PM

@PhilArnold said:
@1984worldcoins My atomic age collection is on hold for the time being.

@TwoKopeiki I keep coming back to Canadian coins, but In dipping my tires into ancients and Mexican coins more and more.

I like Canadian coins.

Phil Arnold joins GC

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