Coin photography has one hard problem: the surface is both reflective and the entire point.
The shot that sells
Obverse and reverse, straight down, filling the frame, on a plain neutral background. Both sides, always — a coin shown from one side is half a coin.
The shot that prevents the dispute
An angled shot under raking light, which shows hairlines, cleaning marks and wear that a straight-on photograph flattens away.
The list
- Obverse, straight down
- Reverse, straight down
- Edge, for reeding and for any damage
- The mint mark and date, close
- Angled under low light, to show the surface
- For notes: flat, whole, plus close-ups of serial, signatures and any fold
Light
Diffuse and off to the side. A flash straight on produces a bright disc with no detail. Two soft sources at roughly forty-five degrees, or daylight through a curtain, give you relief without glare.
Rotate the coin and watch where the light sits: toning that looks ugly at one angle reads as natural at another, and the honest frame is the one that shows what a buyer would see in the hand.
Scale and focus
Back off and crop rather than pressing the lens close. Rest the phone on something — at this magnification, hand shake is the main cause of soft photographs.
What goes wrong
Shooting through a PVC flip, which hazes the image, and photographing on a patterned cloth. And cleaning a coin to make it photograph better, which destroys value. Common mistakes.
Questions people ask
Should I remove a coin from its holder?
Only if it is safe to do so. Otherwise photograph through it and say that you did.
What background works?
Plain, neutral, non-reflective. Grey is usually better than white or black.
Is a macro lens worth buying?
Only for volume selling. Daylight and a steady phone do most of it.
More: selling coins, describing condition.