MikeInFL

Joe, Great coins, and welcome to the forum from a fellow type set collector. Glad to have you around here and thanks for sharing your collection with us all...Mike

This one arrived today (image courtesy of Coin Rarities Online). It will soon be freed from its plastic tomb, won't be leaving my collection any time soon, and is a bit more dove grey than the images suggest:

This one is on its way to me.

 

Zach, That's a gorgeous coin I considered having sent to me only last night!!! Odd that it would be posted today. Please let me know how you like it once you have it in-hand. While I am a bit peeved you beat me to the punch, I am happy to hear it may land in a good home..Mike

123, AWESOME TRADE DOLLAR!!!!!!!!!!!

Nice LC Dooly!

Thank you Lee.

Wow, some awful nice coins posted recently. The w/a half is superb, Bill!!!

Here's a recent NEWP compliments of Mark Feld:

This coin was a bear to image. Had it not been in the holder at a slight angle, the color would be impossible to capture. Regardless, I'm still not happy with the result, but it will have to do for now....Mike

Very nice Tom. Seeing your pics of the coin, I should have bid higher. Glad to hear its found a new home. Take care...Mike

Now that Lee broke the ice, here's another matron head, one of my FUN NEWPS:

Those are two nice ones!!!

I'm still having a tough time with taking images and slabs.

Join the crowd. I think that was a pretty good effort and bet the coin is MUCH more impressive if you flash the mirrors.

A few tips (not that I've mastered the art, and there are many coins that simply defy in-slab photography). Hope these helps:

1) Longer lenses help a huge amount.

2) Keep the light as close to the camera as possible. Moving the light "above" the camera will often allow you to get even closer.

3) If the coin is in the slab tilted at a small angle, use this to your advantage. When you're taking the photo, try moving the light in a circle around the camera until you find the area that "lights up" the coin the most.

4) For the most impossible coins, I've found that using extremely diffused lights (using a photographers diffuser or a piece of paper) then just shooting through the slab glare can result in images that can be maniuplated in post processing (to remove the contrast lost) to resemble the coin's color and look.

Hope this helps. Take care...Mike

p.s. here are two more NEWPs from FUN, both compliments of Mark Feld.

Here's a couple quarter NEWPS from FUN headed for the Dansco:

Larry, Holy smokes! What a gorgeous quarter!...Mike

p.s. if that's a 63, I'll buy a dozen like it right now.

Thanks for the kind words guys. This one just arrived today destined for the 7070, and I used the opportunity to play with the new lens:

The nickel shot was from about a foot and a half.

I had forgotten there were a few coins I had brought home to re-image . After a few minutes experimenting to see what the sweet spot of this lens was, here are a few more quick pics:

Here's a link to the larger unretouched photos (click "next" for the reverse)

My first day thoughts on this lens (Nikon 200mm f4 AF-D Micro)...

o The sweet spot is about f/11 for coins -- enough depth of field to capture the depth of the coin in focus yet not too small of an aperature to cause significant loss of sharpness through diffraction.

o It is significantly sharper than the 70-200 w/500D.

o It seems to be sharper than the 60mm micro.

o It has better contrast than either lens -- this additional contrast will probably be the single biggest improvement visible in the photos.

Have fun...Mike

Nice coins Toyo & Clad!

The 200mm arrived today. I don't have any nice coins to take photos of at home, so this 1948 nickel saved from pocket change will have to give you a feel for the lens until more numismatically interesting subjects are available for experimentation:

Here is a new one

 

Bruce, Very pretty coin and great photo -- I really like the background!!! Take care...Mike

p.s. great coins all!

Great coins everyone. Really love the seated quarter and bust dime, but the rest are great too!

Here's my latest NEWP:

Gorgeous coins everybody!!! However....

Nice half dime. Love the clash. Superb, RGT!

Here's a large cent NEWP (1847 N-7) posted in another thread...Mike

Here's a new one for the redbook variety set I'm working on. 1857 Large Date (N-1).

Have fun...Mike

Awesome coin and photo...Mike

Nice Barber(s)!

Here's a new piece of copper that's a bit more chestnut that the photos suggest:

It is an 1846 Small Date (N-2)....Mike

Lee, Nice Kennedy, and what a war nickel!

Thanks for the kind words, you both.

Mike, I love that large cent!

 

-Amanda

Thought you might comment on the clashing -- as soon as I saw it, it reminded me of your quirky buffalo collection.