Ended up rebuilding my old computer system and attaching my old flatbed scanner

[Dermott]

Since the older scanner (A UMAX Astra 1200S) won't run in Windows XP Pro, I put WIndows 98 on the older machine and thus I'm finally able to scan in decent images of coins both raw and slabbed. As a test, my three $20 Saints I recently sent in to NGC:

 

1. 1924 MS-63

 

 

2. 1925 MS-62 (Bought as a PCI old style label AU-55)

 

 

3. 1911D MS-63 (Bought raw as an MS-61)

 

 

All coins scanned in at 2400 dpi, the image was then reduced from the gigantic size it was to this.

 

Enjoy

[EVillageProwler]

For imaging, I have a complicated setup too. I have an old computer running Win98-2ed with an old HP flatbed attached to it. I also have a brand new Dell running XP-Pro and a copystand/digicam setup.

 

Mostly, I use the copystand/digicam setup to get the initial image, then take cutouts and make minor tweaks using some combo of PhotoImpact and PhotoShop.

 

Certain types of coins do MUCH better with the clunky flatbed, so I must copy the scanned images over to the new computer before doing the cutouts and tweaking.

 

One of these days, I will have to see if the old HP scanner software can run on XP-Pro. In the interim, I tried to no avail to get filesharing set up properly between the old Win98 system and the rest of my XP-Pro network.

 

(A light just went off in my head that I'm gonna have to try when I get a chance!)

 

EVP

 

[Dermott]

I ended up simply downloading an FTP program for the older system and uploading the files to the server space Bellsouth gives me... then I can transfer the files from there if needs be.

 

The older system WAS going to be a file server for our home network, but a dying CD ROM drive changed that at least for the time being.

 

Still odd that the newer technology flatbed scanners do WORSE at 3d scanning than the older ones (although the newer ones do MUCH better on flat images both in quality and file size).

[jtryka]

Wonderful pictures Dermott! I love Saints, and those are very pretty! Thanks for sharing them.

 

As for my own imaging methodology, I simply take pictures with my Sony digital camera, then upload the floppy to my space on ATT. I've been having problems, but it's fixed now (apparently the firewall that came with my new Macaffee visus software mucked with the FTP thingy, don't you love my technical jargon?). But now it's back!

[Dermott]

I've been wanting to share them since I got them back, but my newer scanner (Canan LiDE) doesn't scan slabs worth a ****, so finally I got the older one working and there they are.

 

I'm thinking of taking the 11D with me to Baltimore and see if I can get an expert there to take a look at the mintmark because there seems to be a very tiny amount of doubling on the curve of the D... unfortunately, it's too small to get a clear image of close up.

 

I just took a look through some older files and found a scan I did of the 11D raw and uploaded it here. It's probably just a tiny amount of strike doubling though.

[Oldtrader3]

Nice Saints Dermott. Hard to see the doubling in the scan, but there appears to be some on the loup periphery of the "D".

 

I use a HP2210 Fax/Scanner with Win XP Pro. My older scanner did not give good color rendition. Plus, I can scan to 2400/4800 with the new machine. I have attached a scan of a PCGS-MS64 1910-S Saint for comparison.

[crito]

White inserts drive me nuts when scanning, especially with lightly toned silver. Probably the main reason I haven't sent anything to NGC, yet. Much easier when I can control the background color. Done on my Visoneer 8900 USB scanner:

 

 

Cameras are better, if you can afford a decent one. I can't... spent too much having PCGS undergrade my coins