Phone camera vs older digital camera 1 1

[Mel_in_PNW]

I picked up two clad sacagaweas a couple weeks ago in change and thought they looked bright, shiny, nearly uncirculated. I took pictures of them just with my Samsung phone and whoa! was I shocked. I must be going totally blind because they looked great outside in the sun. They look like hell under my Samsung's camera. I don't trust my eyes at all now!

P.S. Why is the turtle howling? WTH.

[Sandon]

    As is generally true for coins made for circulation, these coins received no special handling at the mint, were packed into and shipped in bags containing thousands of coins, and were passed through counting and roll wrapping machines, picking up numerous marks and abrasions along the way.  Examination with a good magnifying loupe (5-10x) at different angles and proper lighting would have revealed the condition of the coin's surfaces. How a coin photographs depends on the equipment used, the lighting angle and intensity, and other factors.

   The seventh edition (2021) of the deluxe or "Mega Red" "Redbook", which covers all dollar coins in detail, states (p. 915) that "[t]he 2013 Native American dollar coin commemorates the Delaware Treaty of 1778. Its design features a turkey, a howling wolf, and a turtle--all symbols of the clans of the Delaware Tribe.  Around them is a circle of 13 stars to represent Britain's American colonies that originally formed the Union."  The turtle's mouth is nearly closed and doesn't seem to have been depicted as "howling", unlike the wolf.

[Coinbuf]

It is not uncommon for lighting or a camera lens to "see" or highlight marks and abrasions in a different way than our eyes do.   And the old ownership adds a point comes into play more often than many of us would like to admit.     I have done the same thing, thought a coin looked great only to see something when photographed that I missed or perhaps my brain suppressed due to my elation upon my initial viewing.

[RWB]

A local bank likely has all sorts of these dollar coins in various designs. Some Unc others circulated and dirty looking. There's no premium except for some bungled edge lettering - but other will have to tell you about those.

[powermad5000]

I actually inspect every coin that comes through my hands. I have a special tube in the car for when I am out and come out of the store with my change and take a look in the drivers seat before I pull away. Many times, I come out of the store with a coin that looks great to the naked eye. Those get placed gently into the tube. Once I have time, I bring the tube into the house and sit at the table with the coins on a clean soft microfiber towel and check each one, both sides with my 10X or loupe depending on how my eyes are that day.

I will state that 99% of the coins I look at go right back into circulation as all the hits and marks and abrasions become apparent.

What you experienced is a common occurrence. And pics from my phone can show me even more hits and marks that I may have missed with my loupe. If a coin passes the phone test as well, only then will I consider possibly submitting it.

[Mel_in_PNW]

Thanks for all the replies, esp powermad5000. Yeah, I'm not trusting my eyes anymore! I'll just hang onto the circulated coin until I can get a really good look at it. I guess my phone camera is my new 'eye' now.

[EagleRJO]

On 10/19/2023 at 12:14 PM, Mel_in_PNW said:

They look like hell under my Samsung's camera. I don't trust my eyes at all now!

This use to happen to me ... well I guess it still does, particularly since the photos also magnify the coin.  That is until I got a 10x mag glass with a built-in light that does a really good job of showing any imperfections that will present in photos.