Forgive my rambling...
This is always the problem grading from photos, while I'm confident any competent collector can asses details in a photo what you can't see unless the photo is truly professional are the contact marks in order to make accurate assessment as to origins of said marks.
It's not not just the camera and it's macro capabilities, it's the handling and reducing of the data as it's passed along from application to application and then finally reduced and posted.
I admit, I've sat and manipulated photos to get the best contrasts and highlight certain details. There are methods for enhancing wear points to make them more visible etc but it's still not perfect. I know I've lost out on good deals because I'm not willing to take a chance (whether
TPG graded or not) because I don't trust the photos (through no fault of a seller).
I find flat scans better for detecting wear than photos because a scanner by default gets the most detail from the high points on a coin. Photos are better for assessing luster and toning when done right.
Some of the best photos around the sales sites are at Teletrade but even then they aren't high enough detail to suit me.
Some of the best coin photos I've seen around here are the ones hhkiddo takes. He does a good job with angles to make contact points jump up.
Posted 04/30/2010 02:00 am
