1802 Draped Bust Large Cent (PCGS Vs You)

Coins can very difficult to photograph well. A good setup is to use a copy stand and adjust the angle until the coin "shoots" the way you want it to. Straight-on shots will maximize contrast (useful if shooting, e.g. proof coins) especially if you are using a direct light source perpendicular to the coin's facing surface.

One thing that I have had good luck with is using a "coin box" - a box, open to the front, lined on the other 3 sides with black or dark blue fabric. You can then use indirect incident light sources positioned in such a way that the luster is maximized or the surface detail/color. This avoids some of the "light pollution" from ambient light sources and lets you fine-tune your lighting. Use an incident light meter to set your stop and speed once you have your coin and lighting set up (I've found that the built-in meter in modern DSLR setups tends to underexpose shots if the subject is super-lustrous or proof/prooflike.)

People far more expert than I swear by small "penlight" LED light sources but I've always found that makes white balance tricky to dial in and also can add cyans/blues to the shot. I prefer a soft white incandescent light, but it needs to be cool enough that it doesn't add in a bunch of reds and oranges which will have to be desaturated later in post. Either way, you're going to want to have good post-processing software of some sort (I use a very old PhotoShop CS2, but still very effective) or your camera software (e.g. Nikon's NX Studio.)

I shoot all my coins using a Nikon DSLR at either 35 or 55 mm. I'd have much better luck with a decent copy stand, but for now, I make do!

Thanks again to everyone who weighed in. Paralyse, thanks for sharing your numismatic photography methods. I will work on mine in the future.

PCGS called this AU(50). I upgraded to this one from an AU(53) that is a bit darker and with a distracting hit on the cheek. I like this coin more as a type coin, both in the fields and color.

That is a beauty! Congrats. I love the draped bust cents.