Photo Clarity Vs The Naked Eye

This is only a guess but I think it has to do with focal point and resolution. With your eye, you can focus directly on the date while the camera is most likely focused on the highest point giving just the slightest fuzz to the rest of the image. The eye is more limited in resolving things than a camera lens is so the smaller pitting is smoothed out by the mind whereas the lens picks up all those details the eye can't fading the edges. Lighting and angle also come into play. I've had this same problem taking pictures of worn ancient coins.

to the CCF!

What is your lighting setup?

It would appear you are not casting any shadows and coming directly overhead. Try lighting at an angle.

So many factors could be at play but I'd also suggest a grey background. If your scope is set to automatic white balancing a darker background would help.

Lighting Angle is helpful in discerning a coins features, typically I'll have a coin static and move the lighting around to capture field flash or die irregularities. 180 degree lateral imaging will miss depth on the fields. Having less than perfect eyesight makes imaging a great tool. Another thing is lighting strength, moving the light back a bit allows for more shadowing within the coins dimensions. Subtle items can be seen with greater clarity.