Scan / Photography Background

[Tacitus]

I just bought a new scanner, to begin scanning in all my coins.  No background, washes out the coin.  A piece of cardboard seems to work..  I was wondering if a black background would work.   When you are taking photographs of your coins or using a scanner to scan them, what do you use?

[Anaximander]

Many coin collectors take photographs on a black background. That dark background, I think, overcomes the shadows and is better at automatic exposures than a white background. 

I use a gray background; the 18% grey aligns better with automatic settings than a white background, and it so happens to be very similar to the cardboard backing found on common notepads.  Try that! 

Whether scanner or camera, most of my effort is in post-processing, manhandling backgrounds and a coin's white balance in a photo editor.  With respect to the background, all I want to do is to make it as uniform as possible, which makes it easier to select and remove in a photo editor.

I upgraded from scanner to camera (a smallish Micro 4/3rds format, with a long macro lens) over 10 years ago. While the scanner was good, it was never great, and it could not offer much depth of field (more of a problem with Greek coins than Roman). 

[v-drome]

I can't help with scanning as I have not tried that.  I use a digital SLR over a deep white casserole dish with a plate of glass over the top.  This eliminates shadows, but it is not too good for very dark, glossy coins.  I have a single source of white light from a desk lamp and rotate the coin until I get the best relief and color I can.  For darker coins I turn the light away slightly when I press the shutter with a timer delay to set the meter, and then turn the light back before the shutter activates to get a brighter shot.  Afterwards I can adjust the exposure and shadows in an editing program, as needed.

[Ron C2]

I would try both, but for later use and editing, a white background is more versatile.  some people use a black background and then convert it white in a photo editor. 

there's a good thread on the topic here:

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/board/index.php?topic=126983.0