Some of the best buys that one can get are when a seller completely mishandles the photography of
his coin. In this case a
Philip I of
Viminacium. He evidently used a scanner and neglected the difficulty that its light grey-green and brown
patina would pose. I show the seller's photo and if he hadn't claimed it to be a VF grade coin from HJB I would never have taken a chance on it.
The second photo shows the problem when the coin is viewed or photographed in approximately 'true' color and light, especially on the
obverse. Dark and light patches in the
patina make it appear to have big gouges on the surface. This definitely has an adverse effect on the coin's appearance, even "in hand".
In the last image that I will use for my
gallery I photographed the coin in more glancing light which emphasizes the relief and reduces the unpleasant mottling of the patination. The result may be a little "phony" but, hey, I like it! It really brings out the tough character of Philip.
My photo technique is pretty basic. I have an inexpensive Konica-Minolta with macro lens and use a table
lamp for lighting. I hold the coin in one hand and steady it against the camera in the other. This keeps coin and camera in the same orientation even if both move about some while allowing me to get the best possible angle and intensity of light.
