Margie - try this if you haven't already. Find a solid object of some mass preferably at a focal distance that will allow you to capture the shot without a shadow but requires only minor zooming. Take a few pictures. Use the edit tools on your phone app if you have them. Crop on your phone. Upload these to your computer. Do more editing their playing with Contrast and Brightness. Adjust color and saturation as needed. Crop again if you have too much background. Then upload to the Optimization tool here at CCF to reduce file size. This should do the trick.
There are many Canadian varieties many are clashes. A common one is clashing above the date. It looks like a hanger. Sometimes multiple hangers can be seen. Other varieties for a date can be found at the Coins and Canada site. Have a look. Good luck on both fronts!
Edited by Rackster
07/06/2015 06:30 am