Nerosmyfavorite68

I like the Seleucids! This photo will have to do until my photography gets more refined.

I tried some more experiments. I found a riser, a c. 25 CD black spindle. I also piled more CDs on to raise the camera. As you can tell, the riser is a failure. I couldn't get it to focus. Lighting; same lighting as last night. Attempt: 108 mp photo (jpg only) Not shown; too blurry (several attempts). ---- Attempt 2 Riser, pro mode 12mp raw, autofocus. (also tried manual focus, which was equally lousy) 3) Pro mode RAW 12mp, flat on sheet of paper and same number of CDs as yesterday: We see what the clear winner is, for now. The light heats up the room too much and it's a hot day. I also have many things to get done, so end of photo experiments for now. Practice takes many failures. I might try to bring out the tripod and try with the Alpha, if I have time. However, the Note experiments are upgrades to what I was doing before: My best handheld Sony alpha try to date: My results flat on the piece of paper have room for improvment, but aren't terrible so far. I don't know how an AE would turn out. As stated before, the surfaces of the Justinian Tremissis are matte and rough. Perhaps the perfect kind to practice on.

When I use my Sony alpha 77 to do record labels, I'm forced to use Multiframe noise reduction mode. Works well ehough, but it only allows jpg. I suppose I might as well just try with my 108MP smartphone. Random label. This one is a decayed peeler :( Too bad, it's a great episode. My labels never had to be artistic masterpieces; they're for research. I just have to make it so it looks halfway decent; usually through brightening. I'm going to have to revamp my photo area for coins.

Although I had bookmarked it previously, that Coin Photography on a Budget site is really good. Next time I run through a spool of Scotch tape I'll take the core. I'll have to find something for smaller coins. Anyone have any ideas for household items which would make good risers? Hmm, I glance to my right and my record clamp might do the trick if I can't find anything else... https://www.esotericsound.com/access.htm (Pan down to the disc stabilizer clamp). If my hands are good after brunch I'll try some more photography. I'm skittish about handling my AE's. And I don't want to risk my really good gold coins. I want soemthing flat to experiment with. Perhaps I'll trot out the junk box Justinian Tremissis. Scyphate coins are probably harder to photograph. The Tremissis has a matte/rough surface.

Thanks for the excellent tips!

Well, all I have are the jpg's which were produced when the raw was taken. I found the jpg's to be worse (the 12 mp) ones. I had to wash my hands, so coin photography time is blown for hours. That's a frustrating part. The window which I can safely handle the coins is small. My cotton gloves also have a hole in a crucial finger, and I can't find the other glove. I'll have to order more. I can perhaps try in a couple of hours with a gold/electrum coin. Yes, that's why I'm using the RAW, the greater power of adjustment. I'll also try to find something to raise the coin. The thing I was shocked about; once I cropped the coin, the pictures weren't THAT much larger than vcoins. The large Trikephalon was maybe 2960 x 1356.

There definitely is much room for improvement. However, it's pretty close to what the coin looks like when I look at it in person. The John II also has a dark spot on the reverse, where the base of the cross is.

Thanks for the feedback, and nice picture! The only light source currently at the record photographing station is the room's light source; an antique lamp with an LED bulb. The record labels are for research purposes, so they never had to be artistic masterpieces. I realize I do need a more specialized light source. the only LED photo thing I have at the moment is a giant LED light ring. I think it's dimmable, however. I found that the tricky part was once the coin was under the overhang of the phone, getting the coin to be lit enough or out of the glare. The photos were also taken at night. I usually do record label photos in the morning or day, as I find they come out better. Tonight's experiment was more about getting the coin in focus. Lighting will be the next thing to tackle. The results were much less mediocre than I anticipated. I mis-spoke; the camera for the raw part is 12 mp, not 14. If I try the 108 mp one, I won't have the versatility of raw. Manual photography has always been a great frustration. Even though I might know what ISO to use, it invariably ends up out of focus. Perhaps I can also experiment with a black piece of paper as a background (if the coin isn't too dark).

Pretty cool. I don't have one of those.

I don't think I'd regret the Antony; I'd just add that to the bunch if I acquired a better one. I somewhat regret the Decius, but it's not like I can afford a better one. A nice one seems to go for $1500+ nowadays. It gets me in the door. I rarely regret coins; it's more like it goes out of sight, out of mind if I like it less than other pieces. Careful deliberation is probably what's called for in this situation. I'll see how I feel in a couple of weeks. I might just go with the beautiful one, or something completely different. My collection isn't about investment (although I rarely bring myself to really overpay); it's about what makes me happy.

I tried the Note 20 Ultra method tonight. In pro mode, I tried a control group of 3 ways; 1) autofocus 2) autofocus but tap focus on approximately the middle 3) manual focus. 2 seemed to yield the best results. No flash was used. I used my record photography station as the base. I'll have to improve on the lighting setup. I went with the raw DNGs. The Note has 3 cameras, I think. The 108 mp one doesn't seem to offer the raw mode, so it was 14 MP. I made no attempts to isolate the coin and swap out the background, only to get the pictures. That will come later. Per the raws, I went pretty much with pushing the 'auto' button to determine the various sliders (exposure, contrast, etc.). My fancy setup; the book method (a box and 2 CDs). I felt my hands were too moist (even with gloves) to risk handling AE's, so the test subjects were a couple of electrum coins. The obverse is mushy in person on the John II. John II Trikephalon. Nicephorus Botaniates electrum nomisma (broken) What do you think? The results aren't perfect, but better than what I was doing. The background was a regular piece of paper.

Those are really nice, Octavius! CurtisJJ, I wish there were a dedicated thread to imitative Sestertii of Claudius. There's much debate whether that particular one is British/Gallic or from the Balkans. I myself have one in approximately the same condition, sans countermark. My crappier version, with DV countermark, is the only one photographed, however. I am perhaps having some breakthroughs tonight with my photography, though.

Attribution: Sear Byzantine 323 Ravenna mint That might be my only Justinian coin from an Italian mint. Date: Dated Year 34 - AD 560/1 Obverse: Helmeted and cuirassed bust facing, holding globus cruciger, cross to right Reverse: Large M, A/N/N/O to left, cross above, X / XX / IIII (date) in left field, RAVEN / NA below Size: 34.13mm Weight: 8.81 grams Ugly, but rare.

Tomorrow morning will probably be a good time to try the Note 20 way, using a book (or two). Does one have to turn on the flash for that method? I've been learning a bit about pro mode from this video. Pro allows me to save in RAW, and to have more customization. However, the images are smaller, I think only 14 mp. I think it forces one to use jpg if one uses 108 mp. If I try manual; i.e. if auto doesn't have good results, what kind of ISO and shutter speed should I try? I guess 14 would be good enough for a coin. It would also give me more options, with RAW. The raw is .dng, thank goodness. The raw on my Sony is ARW. There's a converter, but it's a PITA. My old version of Photoshop doesn't open ARW, although Paint Shop Pro does.

I'm a large coin lover so early Sestertii are right up my alley. I have the 12 Caesars in Sestertii (Caesar doesn't count, unless that heavy dupondius is a Sestertius and Otho is also not applicable), save for the biggie, Vitellius. I've always wanted one. There was a really damaged one on vcoins recently, but it appears to have been sold. There's a handful of collectors around here who problably have a Vitellius or two. Please feel free to post any Sestertii of Vitellius (or your 12 Caesars Sestertii). Some of mine are more decrepit than others, and some aren't photographed, so it would be somewhat embarrassing if I posted mine. My Titus and Vespasian examples are relatively decrepit. Ditto, Claudius. The Augustus CA in wreath is technically provincial, but I think it counts. My CA is actually fairly nice: Attribution: RPC 2233 Date: 25 BC Obverse: AVGVSTVS, Bust right within border of dots Reverse: CA within circle in wreath, all within border of dots Size: 34.58 mm Weight: 18.6 grams SH54869. Orichalcum sestertius, RIC I 37; BMCRE I 38; Cohen 24, F, rough, Rome mint, weight 24.698g, maximum diameter 34.9mm, die axis 180o, 37 - 38 A.D.; obverse C CAESAR AVG GERMANICVS PON M TR POT, laureate head left; reverse S P Q R / P P / OB CIVES / SERVATOS, legend in four lines within Corona Civica oak wreath; ex Edward J. Waddell; ex Forum. The Caligula's less awful in hand, although not the prettiest coin (the green has been stable). Lousy cleaning's probably the culprit.

P.S. I think the slightly raking light yielded better results. I'm still trying to overcome my own coin photography woes.

It looks better in person. That's a win! The 9th century isn't really my thing so I don't have all that much experiences with in-hand coins of that period. I could be wrong, but the green looks stable to me.

It sure is! Bloomin' heck, the other Sulla-related coin is sold from Spain. I guess that rules out that one... The one I purchased has no shipping problems. I'm sure the Antony will stick around for a while. An Antony-Octavian Ephesus Denarius is another want. While some dealers describe them as 'rare', there's always a few examples on vcoins.

I bought my Sulla dream coin! (if that's what we're talking about).

Yes, I haven't sold a coin since 1994.

I'm folding sheets and doing the happy dance! I also noticed a very nice example of another one-off Sulla-related coin. I had my eye on B mainly because it was scarce (well, I should plonk open Sear and verify), really nice, and affordable. It's a coin I'd probably forget about in a little while. I'd probably remember the Antony. Unless it's truly terrible, I don't usually regret coins. The B is more of an opportunistic buy (not for resale purposes). While my coin budget has certainly increased, keep in mind that I'm a 'budget' (generally under $500) collector. I'm still very happy with my $800 Apsimar buy, but that's my second-most expensive coin ever. I guess I don't regret it completely, as I now have an example, and I generally can't afford a nice one, but I plonked down $400-something for a Trajan Decius Double Sestertius about 10 years back. It wasn't in terrible condition wear-wise, but a weird flaw (gouged out eye) makes it really ugly. I don't regret one bit spending a similar amount on a Heraclius 'Jerusalem' Solidus with a finder's gash (affects only a couple of letters). That was another 'dream' coin.

About how much does a solid Fine version of the Marc Antony, Athens go for in today's market? The pock marks are almost reminiscent of fourree breaks. However, it looks like silver (to my untrained eyes) under the marks. That particular dealer doesn't seem to list weights, which makes it kind of tough. Could they be 'finder's marks' or damage done by a plough before the coin was unearthed? ***Update, wow, what a bizarre development! This thread caused me to search for my (realistic) dream coin, a portrait Denarius of Sulla. A very affordable one in decent fine popped up. It took me about 30 seconds to purchase it! That issue only seems to show up 1-2 times on vcoins a year, sometimes 0. I got my dream coin! I was happy to plonk down $300+ for this! To keep on budget, I guess A or B will have to wait 2 weeks. (I budget a certain amount for coin buys). Who knows, by then I might have moved on to something else. I'm glad I asked!!

Well, I'll be so bold to announce that coin A is a denarius from Athens? of Marc Antony/Marcus Antonius. There's so few on vcoins, that it's easy to find which one I'm talking about. If someone buys it out from under me, no biggie; solves the conundrum. Also, what do you think caused all those marks? Some seem deliberate, like clumsy bankers' marks. The coin's rather ugly because of the pock marks. The other one is lovely, but like I said, I have no great passion for the issue.

It's a very cool coin! DLTCoins, what are the most 'affordable' Islamic rulers in gold from the pre-1000 AD period?

It's pretty cool. Do you have to put those in the soft, old-school PVC flips? I'd be afraid that it'd get squished.