GoldFinger1969

On 1/24/2023 at 9:00 PM, Hoghead515 said:

Those turned out really good. Very nice for a phone. I got a Samsung Note 10 and it dosent take the best pictures. It did alright when it was new. Im wondering if the lens may be clouded up a little or something. It could also be the man working it also. 

It should take crystal-clear photos.  Make sure your anti-shake feature is activated.  Take some simple photos with a mini-tripod or full-tripod to eliminate human error...pics should be razor-sharp.

If they're not, something is wrong.  Now....the Samsung smartphones S8/9/10 cameras have a glitch that I found out about just a few months ago....there's something that  affects the AUTOFOCUS which makes the picture decidedly blurry.  They look like photos taken with a camera from the 1970's at 640x480 pixel resolution, not 4000x2200 4K.  I would take photos of the giant scoreboard at CitiField when attending a Mets game and I could easily see the scoreboard and read everything but when I took a picture of it, I couldn't make out the numbers or words.  It was all blurry. 

The Samsung smartphones need to be gently SHAKEN to fix the problem.  Yeah, I thought it was nuts too but that's what caused the problem in the first place: maybe it was dropped, rotated, moved quickly, juggled in your pocket, fell on the couch or car seat or lawn...whatever.  But cleaning the lens and re-loading the camera app did NOT solve the problem nor did all the other fixes I came across.  Finally, I found a website with a guy who had that as the fix and he admitted it sounded bogus -- BUT IT WORKED !!!  

When this happened in 2019-21, it would happen randomly 1 or 2 times a year and last a few days or a week or two.  It was a real PITA because I couldn't use the phone to take pics.  The problem fixed itself with some random shaking or movement of the phone but I didn't know that's what had done it.  I just figured the phone "fixed itself" somehow maybe with a power-off or power-on or whatever.

Nope...you actually have to deliberately SHAKE THE PHONE and then just take pics and see when it razor-sharps again.  Once I found this hint, I did the shaking and the phone was razor-sharp again within 60 seconds instead of waiting days or weeks to accidentally jigger whatever came loose or moved.

On 1/24/2023 at 10:11 AM, RWB said:

I have a flip phone. Photos taken with it are awful....but, it's a telephone and text device, not a camera.

Consider this: Photographers use cameras not phones to make photos. Ever think why?

Well, I guess they have more memory and probably larger/faster processors.  They can probably do more things than a smartphone and faster, too.  Especially with RAW photos and other data-intensive applications.

I suspect that a digital camera also has longer and more powerful batteries...if you're going to be taking hundreds of pictures at a wedding or similar life event, you can't take a break to re-charge a smartphone. 

However...today's smartphone are probably where stand-alone digital cameras were 5-10 years ago.  That's a pretty powerful technology to be included in a phone for free.  Also, a real camera is ergonomically designed for human hands and eyes whereas a smartphone is geared for talking, texting, and maybe watching videos. 

On 1/24/2023 at 4:00 PM, bsshog40 said:

So I updated answer in first post. I do have to admit tho, my canon captured the color much better but the phone captured a more detailed shot. I can live with both tho'. 

Is the Canon state-of-the-art and you had same resolution quality on both ?

The more vibrant color (realistic, IMO) of the smartphone is clear....and the increased sharpness and detail seen in the smartphone pics is very clear to me.  Look at the details on the smartphone pic on the neclace, the headdress coming over the left ear, or the feathers.

The Canon looks like VHS-quality or DVD-quality while the S22+ looks like a Blu-Ray or 4K.  

On 1/24/2023 at 9:11 PM, Hoghead515 said:

I like both pictures also. I like the color of #1 and the sharpness of #2. Both better than any picture Ive been able to capture so far. Soon Im going to start practicing with some of @VKurtB lighting tips hes shared over the past couple years. Im thinking about trying to get a professional camera you can change lenses on this summer when work picks up wide open again. Wonder what the best kind of lens is to use? I mean like the size and all that good stuff. Ive seen it shared on the forum before but its been awhile. 

Agree with BSS.....unless you are going to get lots of usage out of the (digital) camera...and can utilize all the advanced features....you can get 95% or more of that with a smartphone which is probably as good as professional digital cameras were only 5-7 years ago.   With the money saved, you can get yourself a super-nice coin ! 

You can buy a very inexpensive mini-tripod which makes taking the pictures easier and with hardly any shaking/vibrating. 

What I did was set my coin box up agains the back of my La-Z-Boy recliner....then I had the coin against the back of the chair resting on the coin box....then I pressed the smartphone flush against the forward part of the coin box to "brace" myself so I wasn't holding the phone in the air but against something.  Helped eliminate some shaky photos and increased the consistency.

On 1/24/2023 at 3:44 PM, VKurtB said:

Errrrrm, ring lighting can have disadvantages as well as advantages. It almost always eliminates detail. It’s why it’s so popular for “influencers” on video podcasts. It removes roughness, aka blemishes. There is no single best way to light coins. It’s an art, not a science. Just like there’s no single best way to light portraits. 

Not only that, but I believe that today's LCDs vs. CFLs vs. incandescents will all light a coin's surface area differently.  Even if you correct for wattage/lumens.

On 1/24/2023 at 6:17 PM, KarenHolcomb said:

Always edit from camera mode and not from gallery or Photos. There are more options there.

But picture quality will be the same, right ?  

Let's say you crop a 1920x1080 Hi-Def picture....what remains will "shrink" to something like 974x585.  It should be the same (give or take a miniscule number of pixels) whether you crop on the phone OR crop in Paint or something on your PC, right ?

I know that digital zoom is not as good as optical zoom (right ?).  So....let's say I have the choice of zooming in on a coin with the optical zoom to get a closeup....OR....moving the smartphone closer to get the closeup.  Shouldn't be much different, right (with digital zoom, I believe it would be) ?

Eagle, what you are showing is I believe the Danbury Mint offer.  Real Morgan Silver Dollars, but 50-100% overpriced last I checked, maybe more.

On 1/24/2023 at 3:36 PM, Coinbuf said:

I assume it is a personal preference, in theory someone could use the cert number and try to use your coin in the registry.   However, if you have the coin in your inventory/registry the system would notify you when or if anyone tries to use your coin.   I have no issue with showing the cert, but usually I take my photos as close as possible and crop out as much of the background as possible.

Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't.  

It's not so much for me.....my understanding was that LEGITIMATE bar codes could be used with alternative, fake coins in LEGITIMATE PCGS/NGC holders. 

Net-Net, you can't use a legitimate, real bar code for my Saint-Gaudens coin to pass off your copy which isn't real but might be 1 ounce of real gold with or without a "grade" in the front that matches mine holder.

On 1/24/2023 at 1:36 PM, Walkerfan said:

I don't know BUT.... I'm GUESSING that #1 was done with the phone. Both are good.  Interesting...the color variation of the two different styles.  Number 1 looks more YELLOW.  Number 2 is definitely sharper.  

Agree with WF. 

On 1/24/2023 at 10:16 AM, Sandon said:

If you are fortunate enough to own examples of all three types of these coins, take the time to really look at them!  Nowadays they seem to be valued more for their gold content than their numismatic attributes.

I think in coin books it wouldn't be a bad idea to have an appendix listing the major changes and when they took place over a coin type's lifetime.  Easier to focus on and remember, especially for non-experts. 

On 1/24/2023 at 10:54 AM, RWB said:

Did you also know that a new pair of hubs for 1877 had a high relief obverse? This created stacking problems and was soon replaced. About 10% of 1877 S DE have a high relief obverse, in spite of Linderman's direct order to melt the coins. I discovered this several years ago fro a combination of documents and coin examination. David McCarthy helped verify this.

Wow.....high-relief on 1 side ONLY ?  Did any other coins ever deliberately have high-relief on 1-side only ?

Did you mean "10% of 1877-S DEs" ?  You mean the SanFran mintages ?

On 1/24/2023 at 10:16 AM, Sandon said:

    On the topic of Liberty Head double eagles, did you know that--

1.  The original obverse hub used to make dies for all coins dated from 1850 through 1858 had the "I" in "LIBERTY" corrected from a second "L".  The foot of the erroneous second "L" wasn't completely removed and can be seen on all coins of these dates.

I didn't know that until reading the Bowers LH DE book a few days ago !!  I couldn't believe it lasted that long....but I looked closely at the pics and it's clearly visible.

Thanks, Sandon ! 

I'm still reading, so I'll make sure to look for your other changes/factoids later on as I read the chapters on Type 2's and Type 3's.  It's one of the few Liberty DE-specific facts that the book deals with, as opposed to the Whitman Red Book on Double Eagles which goes into each yearly mintage.

Come to think about it...I'm not even sure the Bowers DE Red Book went into that "Double L" thing nor the "Broken A crossbar" thing I read about in the LH DE book.  Or if it was there, I forgot about it as it didn't stand out without pictures (the big advantage of the Bowers LH DE book and RWBs SG DE book).

On 1/24/2023 at 9:17 AM, VKurtB said:

Wow. There probably isn’t a bigger Teddy Roosevelt fan than me, but his coinage attentions never impressed me much. I know that’s probably a minority opinion. 

If it weren't for him, we wouldn't have the MCMVII UHRs and HRs. 

And probably not the Saint-Gaudens DE, either. 

On 1/24/2023 at 10:50 AM, RWB said:

Phones have convenience cameras. Impulse and sales features. Real cameras use different technology that can produce much better results. Spending $1000 to be incessantly pestered, and billed for "services" is ridiculous.

I think the gap between what the average person has today vs. a pro has narrowed a ton.

40 years ago, I had one of those Instamatic cameras...my father had a Nikon 35 mm....and the pros had the Nikon or similar camera with all the huge lenses (wide-angle, telephoto, etc.).

Today.....I see that serious photographers will have actual cameras with lens extensions....and maybe they can shoot in 8K or 16K or whatever....but the difference between those actaual cameras and what a state-of-the-art iPhone or Galaxy can do has to be much less than decades ago when comparing Joe Public and Joe Professional. 

If there are differences, I'm not sure the human eye can discern it !

On 1/24/2023 at 9:52 AM, bsshog40 said:

After you go in to edit a picture, pic crop and then follow the pics below. Hope this helps.

Thanks BSS !!  Can I also black-out the bar code from the phone; would make it easy not having to zoom in and crop the photo (from the phone or Paint) if I want to show the label and grade without the bar code.

Took these in my La-Z-Boy chair....LED light straight above with light angled down at the coin/chair....I had the Galaxy S9 about 6" away pressed against the box that the coins were set on to brace the camera.  Sometimes I would zoom in at about 2-2.2x to eliminate the holder itself and just show coin.

This is the 2013 Reverse Proof ASE; obverse is the 70, the reverse is from a 69. 

How long have you had the S22+ ?  I have a Galaxy S9 but am thinking of upgrading (I'm hoping it will help with a dropped-call problem I have at my home).  Major negative is that the new Galaxies don't have the SD card slot which means you have to buy the extra memory internally which costs more.

Can you describe what you did to crop etc. ?  I want to see if I can do that on my S9. 

On 1/23/2023 at 4:07 PM, VKurtB said:

There used to be seven or eight such auctions per week in central PA. Now they average one to two, so yeah, they’re getting less frequent. When I left, there were seven auctioneers on my list of “regulars”. And then there were others. All of the seven ran AT LEAST four auctions per year. And all were within a 35 mile drive from Harrisburg. 

Amazing....never heard about this, never read about it.  You would think that the numismatic mags would be writing about this little unexplored area, huh ?  Definitely interesting and a source for new often un-registered coins.  Mini-hoards, if you will.

Ironically....I attended the Parsippany, NJ show a few years ago and there was a dealer there who had 2 spectacular MCMVII HR's and some other very valuable rarities (from the mid-1800's) that a client or contact had given him to sell after they were found in some barn or farmhouse in Nebraska or something like that by the children or grandchildren who inherited the estate. 

On 1/20/2023 at 2:23 PM, RWB said:

Shhhhh....that's the great secret of the "All-Seeing Eye" on your dollar bill.

I already knew that....didn't you know that E Pluribus Unum means "We're Watching You" in Latin ?

On 1/18/2023 at 2:17 PM, RWB said:

[Photos by Stack's-Bowers Galleries.]

Is that Eagle on the right Jewish ?  Looks like he's wearing a yarmulke. 

Either that or he's angelic and has a halo over his head.

Roger, please see if the Newman Portal can shed any light on this deep theological question.

Questions On Taking Best Picture:  Just a couple of "dumb" questions that a photograhic novice (maybe, on my best day! ) wants to know.

I use the default settings on my Galaxy S9 smartphone....I don't use any of the preset things like NIGHT or SPORT or whatever (should I ?) and use the default Photo function/settings with resolution set to max or near-max.  After all, I am taking pictures of stationary coins, not football players jumping in action so I figure messing around with ISO or light variables or whatever is beyond my skill set OR need.

Pictures are set to maximum resolution (4K quality ~ 4000x2300 pixels).  

One.......since these are simple coin photos, am I right to assume that any specialty settings are overkill and aren't going to make a dimes worth of difference ?

Two......is there a DIFFERENCE if I zoom in a bit with the smartphone camera and THEN take the pic with more of a close-up/less background....OR....take it without any zoom (showing the coin and some background) and then use the close-up function on the phone itself or you people using the zoom feature on this site to make the image bigger ?  In other words...is there any resolution or clarity lost by me initially zooming or is it even better if I do it first and then eliminate the need to zoom on the smartphone when I look at the pics or when you people see them ?

On 1/23/2023 at 2:05 PM, VKurtB said:

It’s ALL numismatically interesting material. Yes, there’s some junk too, but it gets lumped into bulk lots. At JMI auctions in York, if a coin is being sold singly, it’s NOT a problem coin. I’ve submitted ABOUT 50 or so coins bought at York, PA auctions to NGC. I have “albumed” more than that. And maybe two dozen ended up in Eagle brand plastic and Mylar windowed holders. These come from series for which I don’t have a Dansco album.  I’ve bought exactly two already slabbed. No coin has EVER come back with an NGC problem. 

Very interesting...in your opinion...are these auctions MORE FREQUENT or LESS FREQUENT compared to 10 or 20 years ago ?

Not only would that show the impact of the internet...but it might also portend more collections and more rare coins coming out into the marketplace as the original owners or the 1st-inheritors from original owners....decide they just want $$$ and the coins are now on the market....or they die and their estate/beneficiaries decide they don't want them, either.

This is the kind of information that someone like ANA might have some idea is out that would be useful to collectors/dealers that we discussed on another thread.

Off-The-Beaten-Track Sources of Information:  For any newcomers here, or even more experienced collectors looking for interesting places on the internet to scour out information on your particular coins (or the coin type).... 

• HERITAGE & STACKS/BOWERS AUCTIONS:  I find great comments on specific coins and coin types by looking for high-priced sales of a coin (i.e., Saints) which usually has lots of background information.  You will NOT find it on more common and/or lower-priced sales where the coin descriptions for the auction may only run a few sentences.  It's for the rare coins, expensive ones, and unique ones that will have pages of information plus commentaries by noted experts (i.e., David Akers for gold).  Invaluable, IMO.

• DEALER WEBSITES:   Need to separate fact-from-fiction but you can find interesting information that may have been printed 20 years ago during the Internet's infancy and is still up or recently found.  I found some good stuff on hoards over at David Lawrence's site.

• FORUM THREADS:  Obvious, since that's what this is.   A good example would be the Saints thread here on the NGC Forums (where Roger Burdette has generously contributed his expertise and knowledge) and PCGS has some real winners, like the recent Proof Thread, the famous Franklin Gradeflation Thread, and the (unfortunately deleted ) Omega Saint Counterfeit Thread.

That's a good thread, we have some winners over here, they have some over there.