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Does anybody use the NGC photo service??

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Looking at NGC services, the idea of having coins pictured seems pretty good. At least you can view the pictures while in the safe deposit box. Any comments about the service or picture quality?

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I have thought about this. I remember on the other forum people were asking about it. From what I recall, most said the photography was great for untoned coins but not very good for toned ones. Still, I've given thought to doing it for a nice coin sometime. It just seems like a neat idea.

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It does sound neat, and it would be cool to have a binder with all your coins pictured. I supose it may be just as helpful to learn how to photograph them myself.

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Photographing itself is not too difficult with a little practice. The biggest concerns when dealing with coin photography are:

 

1. Color balance

2. Accurate lighting

3. Resolution

 

Color balance is essential to maintain an accurate color look for the coin. There are many techniques you can use, but remember that what the coin looks like, what the scanner/camera can see, what the screen displays, and what the printer prints are different. And you cannot rely on your eyes as there are inherent differences in how these devices manage color. That's why good color reproduction is expensive. But you can do a very good job with a little work. Especially in adjusting white balance, and using the software (on windows and mac) to match the printer and screen together. And if you adjust the pic in photoshop to adjust for dot gain (when you print, the image is always darker than screen, so you lighten on screen to adjust the print) you can get a better image.

 

Accurate lighting is also an essential ingredient. The type of light usually isn't important so long as color balance is maintained. What is important is adequately lighting the whole coin and not casting unwanted shadows.

 

Resolution is the most important. Scanners are the easiest because you can set the dpi. But the way you want to do it is to take as big an image as possible. Then reduce the size of the image by increasing the dpi. Now, the right amount of dpi is always twice the lpi (lines per inch) of your printing device. Most color inkjets have an lpi of 133 which means the right dpi for a printed image is 266. Anything higher drops out and is ignored.

 

So if you balance well, adjust well, light it well, and have a nice resolution appropriate for your printer, then you'll have a great pic! smile.gif

 

Neil

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My fervent wish is that NGC would hire Shylock to do their pictures for them! His pick up the natural color so well.

 

Seriously, I love the PhotoProof service provided by NGC, but I wish the pictures looked more "natural" instead of washed out.

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nwcs,

 

Thanks for the tips. I always have a hard time picturing slabbed coins. It seems hard to get the right angle and not get any reflection or glare from the plastic. Do scanners work better for this??

 

 

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Scanners are really good for lightly toned coins and gold, but don't do well with blast white pieces as the coin gets washed out, and they don't always pick up toning well, especially the kind that has to be seen at a slight angle.

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I do provide a coin photography service, although I don't certify coins and am not NGC. I use very good equipment and software, and even look the coin over for die varieties and micro photo those if necessary. Prints and a diskette containing internet ready versions of the photos are returned to the owner. I don't know how much NGC charges, but my fee starts at $9 per coin plus shipping back home, owner's choice of method and expense. I have had pretty good success with reaching clients, and the ones who have come to me are all repeat customers.

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I think scanners are best used for die varieties in that you can set the DPI to something like 1200 and achieve an effect similar to a zoom. Of course, a microscope is also a good tool, but this is a cheaper alternative. The best way I've found to deal with the lighting situation is to have three bulbs. One overhead that is soft or far enough away to not be glaring. Then two diffused lights to the sides. You can use 40 or 60 watt bulbs and have a sheet of typing paper cover them (not for long if you don't want a fire smile.gif )

 

This diffuses the light and lights up all the coins. Sometimes you need to reduce the light balance (instead of the white balance) to artificially darken the image a tad to keep it from over exposing. I've had good results when I do this. most of the time, though, I don't go through that much effort.

 

Neil

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