Search found 2734 matches

by mhonzell
Mon Oct 30, 2023 12:41 pm
Forum: General US Coin Forum
Topic: Foreign Coin of the day
Replies: 8
Views: 6667

Foreign Coin of the day

Ok, nobody liked the Pig idea.
So, let's see a coin from another country.
by mhonzell
Fri Oct 27, 2023 11:04 pm
Forum: General US Coin Forum
Topic: Friday is for Pigs
Replies: 2
Views: 3363

Friday is for Pigs

Only a few roosters made it for showtime, so let's see if there are some pigs out there.
Here's a copper and a silver example:
by mhonzell
Fri Oct 27, 2023 2:38 pm
Forum: General US Coin Forum
Topic: How does an AI coin grader work?
Replies: 3
Views: 3723

Re: How does an AI coin grader work?

Then, it becomes dependent on the photo, lighting and setup. The AI may have seen a lot of graded examples, but the grade is still dependent on circumstances of the setup if we are using a phone app. A third party version would be more likely to be standardized when photographing. But, they may not ...
by mhonzell
Thu Oct 26, 2023 6:44 pm
Forum: General US Coin Forum
Topic: Toner Tuesday-Post yours too!
Replies: 15
Views: 12970

Re: Toner Tuesday-Post yours too!

MorganHeir wrote: Thu Oct 26, 2023 1:08 pm This just arrived from Portsmouth Coin! :banana-dance: I photographed her in warm and cool light to accentuate the different colors. No editing, other than a crop.
Beautiful coin!
by mhonzell
Thu Oct 26, 2023 2:18 pm
Forum: General US Coin Forum
Topic: Improve Coin Photos
Replies: 41
Views: 15761

Re: Improve Coin Photos

Paul is correct... practice, practice, practice.
When you use diffusion light, a directional light from a short distance away will add "life" to the coin. Usually from a low angle. Extremely effective when shooting encased coins to hide scratches in plastic.
by mhonzell
Thu Oct 26, 2023 10:44 am
Forum: General US Coin Forum
Topic: Improve Coin Photos
Replies: 41
Views: 15761

Re: Improve Coin Photos

Is this strictly lighting from the box? Very strong diffusion light appearance.
by mhonzell
Tue Oct 24, 2023 10:14 am
Forum: General US Coin Forum
Topic: Toner Tuesday-Post yours too!
Replies: 15
Views: 12970

Re: Toner Tuesday-Post yours too!

Bullion from Mexico.
by mhonzell
Mon Oct 23, 2023 10:05 pm
Forum: General US Coin Forum
Topic: Monday is for Roosters!
Replies: 10
Views: 5642

Re: Monday is for Roosters!

Nice!
by mhonzell
Mon Oct 23, 2023 4:44 pm
Forum: General US Coin Forum
Topic: Monument Monday- Post yours too!
Replies: 5
Views: 5500

Re: Monument Monday- Post yours too!

Two Jeffersons with Monticello. Neither made it onto the nickel.
by mhonzell
Mon Oct 23, 2023 4:16 pm
Forum: General US Coin Forum
Topic: Improve Coin Photos
Replies: 41
Views: 15761

Re: Improve Coin Photos

Yes. A shooting box helps remove the wrong lights. When I'm shooting my museum shots, I even turn off other lights and shut the blinds so that only the shooting box diffusion light and my one directional light are being photographed. You can get really cheap ones on eBay or Amazon for about $10. I l...
by mhonzell
Mon Oct 23, 2023 3:50 pm
Forum: General US Coin Forum
Topic: Monday is for Roosters!
Replies: 10
Views: 5642

Re: Monday is for Roosters!

That's awesome, thanks!
by mhonzell
Mon Oct 23, 2023 3:14 pm
Forum: General US Coin Forum
Topic: Improve Coin Photos
Replies: 41
Views: 15761

Re: Improve Coin Photos

The "best practice" is look at your coin in hand and compare it to your photo. Then, practice, practice, practice. Digital shots are free and you delete anything that doesn't make the grade. Tweak your lighting and find what allows you to minimally adjust the photo. I have display photos a...
by mhonzell
Mon Oct 23, 2023 11:39 am
Forum: Mint Errors and Varieties Forum
Topic: 1982 d penny small date
Replies: 9
Views: 3357

Re: 1982 d penny small date

Two years of searching, but you don't know what you're looking for?

Straight vs. bent.
It's all in the shape of the '2'.
by mhonzell
Mon Oct 23, 2023 2:08 am
Forum: General US Coin Forum
Topic: Mercury Dime Dryer Coin?
Replies: 5
Views: 2567

Re: Mercury Dime Dryer Coin?

:D That whole dryer thing is a myth, anyway. It would have to be an empty industrial dryer running non-stop for a long time to flatten any edges. It just sounds like a dryer should be able to do this. And, spooning a mercury dime to make a ring would be a worthless endeavor. So, I'm with SensibleSal...
by mhonzell
Mon Oct 23, 2023 2:04 am
Forum: Mint Errors and Varieties Forum
Topic: 3 Unminted US Quarters
Replies: 5
Views: 1735

Re: 3 Unminted US Quarters

By "unminted", do you mean "no mint mark"? That just means they were minted in Philadelphia.
by mhonzell
Mon Oct 23, 2023 2:02 am
Forum: General US Coin Forum
Topic: Monday is for Roosters!
Replies: 10
Views: 5642

Re: Monday is for Roosters!

:) :dance:
Those guys need to start hiding.
by mhonzell
Mon Oct 23, 2023 1:56 am
Forum: General US Coin Forum
Topic: Monday is for Roosters!
Replies: 10
Views: 5642

Monday is for Roosters!

Just kidding.
Thought I'd throw in a very unlikely topic (similar to Sal's type posts) and see where it goes. Post any coin you have that displays a rooster.
Of course, I have a copper and silver example for you...
NY630BH-2a (3).jpg
Belarus 2016 (1)-horz.jpg
by mhonzell
Sun Oct 22, 2023 8:25 pm
Forum: General US Coin Forum
Topic: Improve Coin Photos
Replies: 41
Views: 15761

Re: Improve Coin Photos

ewj1025, Your photos are actually pretty good, just too exposed. I know you don't want to post-process your pictures, but if you are taking RAW pictures, then you are preventing your camera from post-processing, as well. You have to finish the photo. In this case, I took your first two obverse photo...
by mhonzell
Sun Oct 22, 2023 7:45 pm
Forum: General US Coin Forum
Topic: Improve Coin Photos
Replies: 41
Views: 15761

Re: Improve Coin Photos

Lol, not one of my better ones (when magnified).
by mhonzell
Sun Oct 22, 2023 7:38 pm
Forum: General US Coin Forum
Topic: Improve Coin Photos
Replies: 41
Views: 15761

Re: Improve Coin Photos

Marvic, I like it, as well.
(In Photoscape, select Darken High, or in your post processing, turn down highlights some.)

Ewj1025, much better photo!
by mhonzell
Sun Oct 22, 2023 12:07 pm
Forum: General US Coin Forum
Topic: Improve Coin Photos
Replies: 41
Views: 15761

Re: Improve Coin Photos

Lol
It could be mine. Just thought you finally made that last jump.
by mhonzell
Sun Oct 22, 2023 2:23 am
Forum: Mint Errors and Varieties Forum
Topic: 1955 doubling possibly
Replies: 6
Views: 1368

Re: 1955 doubling possibly

When cropped, you can see that it's pretty blurry. Try taking a photo where the coin fills up the screen. But, from what I can see, I do not see doubling.
by mhonzell
Sat Oct 21, 2023 4:41 pm
Forum: General US Coin Forum
Topic: Improve Coin Photos
Replies: 41
Views: 15761

Re: Improve Coin Photos

Awesome job Marvic
by mhonzell
Sat Oct 21, 2023 1:10 pm
Forum: General US Coin Forum
Topic: Improve Coin Photos
Replies: 41
Views: 15761

Re: Improve Coin Photos

Turn off auto-white balance. Use less light. Move up to F22 to make use of your Macro lens full depth. This may require manual focus.
by mhonzell
Fri Oct 20, 2023 1:52 pm
Forum: General US Coin Forum
Topic: Finds in the wild!
Replies: 9
Views: 4871

Re: Finds in the wild!

Got this coin years ago during a transaction with a Walmart cashier (back when they had cashiers.) She thought it was a Canadian quarter. Not in great shape, but gave me hope there are still old coins out there waiting to be found.
by mhonzell
Tue Oct 17, 2023 12:11 pm
Forum: General US Coin Forum
Topic: My Monster Toned Morgans! Check Them Out
Replies: 12
Views: 5603

Re: My Monster Toned Morgans! Check Them Out

Tone is always tough, but your video is pretty much showing them in basic room lighting. Spinning them around really helped as different angles present different features.

Always happy to take a look at any photos you want to send. PM me one. JPGs without compression can be helped.
by mhonzell
Tue Oct 17, 2023 2:42 am
Forum: General US Coin Forum
Topic: Scratches away from MS64
Replies: 16
Views: 4466

Re: Scratches away from MS64

Looking at marks on the coin you have in hand, I can't make it line up with marks on the posted coin. This is not a photography trick. You actually did not receive the posted coin.
by mhonzell
Mon Oct 16, 2023 6:47 pm
Forum: Mint Errors and Varieties Forum
Topic: Can you tell me?
Replies: 10
Views: 2109

Re: Can you tell me?

My theory:
Lots of things were handled by hand back then. The operator likely dropped the hammer on the anvil when removing it from the press for making working dies. (More surprised it wasn't noticed and polished out. But, then it was incuse and would have been difficult to polish.)
by mhonzell
Mon Oct 16, 2023 6:32 pm
Forum: General US Coin Forum
Topic: My Monster Toned Morgans! Check Them Out
Replies: 12
Views: 5603

Re: My Monster Toned Morgans! Check Them Out

Super finds! Love these coins!
Would love to see them under better lighting. (Not brighter... better.)
by mhonzell
Mon Oct 16, 2023 6:15 pm
Forum: General US Coin Forum
Topic: Washington Wednesday! Post your too....
Replies: 23
Views: 51325

Re: Washington Wednesday! Post your too....

Sorry, but I don't have a single quarter (or dime) in my entire collection (not even old photos), but I have plenty of Washington.
by mhonzell
Mon Oct 16, 2023 6:05 pm
Forum: General US Coin Forum
Topic: The Round Table Lounge- post yours too!
Replies: 7
Views: 2523

Re: The Round Table Lounge- post yours too!

"A coin is minted by a sovereign government and has a legal tender face value." (Even if that value is no where near the actual value of the coin.) So, what if it is made by a sovereign government, but has no value declared on the coin? America.jpg And how does that work if the coin has le...
by mhonzell
Wed Oct 04, 2023 6:37 am
Forum: World and Ancient Coin Forum
Topic: OLD GOLD COIN
Replies: 11
Views: 6253

Re: OLD GOLD COIN

A modern coin (not hammer struck, edged), without a monetary unit or date. Likely a token.

I see a bull with matador waving Cape in first picture.
by mhonzell
Sun Oct 01, 2023 2:04 pm
Forum: General US Coin Forum
Topic: Not one cent
Replies: 6
Views: 1469

Re: Not one cent

This specific coin is designated: Fuld 90/364a.
It is considered common in the CWT realm.
by mhonzell
Sun Oct 01, 2023 11:56 am
Forum: General US Coin Forum
Topic: Not one cent
Replies: 6
Views: 1469

Re: Not one cent

Just a minor clarification...
This is a Civil War Token.
Hard Times Tokens were from about 1835 to 1845.

Civil War Tokens come in three flavors:
Patriotic
Store Card
Sutler

Your token is a Patriotic token.
by mhonzell
Wed Sep 20, 2023 11:05 am
Forum: General US Coin Forum
Topic: Method for putting the word out that I want to buy a certain coin
Replies: 6
Views: 1425

Re: Method for putting the word out that I want to buy a certain coin

Several reputable coin dealers will have the ability to enter a wish list in their online store. This is usually as close as you can get to stating I'm looking for a certain coin. If one passes through their hands, you'll get notified.
by mhonzell
Wed Sep 20, 2023 8:26 am
Forum: Mint Errors and Varieties Forum
Topic: PMD or something else?
Replies: 4
Views: 374

Re: PMD or something else?

PMD is not an error or a variety. Neither is zinc rot.
by mhonzell
Tue Sep 19, 2023 10:28 am
Forum: Coin Grading Service Questions - Shares
Topic: worth it to submit a coin if it will get details designation?
Replies: 5
Views: 5262

Re: worth it to submit a coin if it will get details designation?

I agree with Paul.

Notice he did not say, "graded". You only encapsulate to:
1. Protect the coin from further damage.
2. Get another party to agree it is an authentic coin.

1889-CC is a high priced coin in any state.
by mhonzell
Mon Sep 18, 2023 9:43 am
Forum: Mint Errors and Varieties Forum
Topic: 1955 1 dollar gold
Replies: 6
Views: 537

Re: 1955 1 dollar gold

1855, vice 1955.

Small Indian Princess bust is Type 2.
Lg Indian Princess was 1856-> (Type 3)
Lady Liberty was <-1854 (Type 1)