Not unusual to spot a potentially high grade item on ebay with a low resolution/poor scan.
How do you grade based on a poor quality image ?
Its always a roll of the dice I guess.
But is there a way to get a better idea of the true grade ?
Also has anyone tried a program called UNJPEG ?
As an example here is one I've got in the pipeline:
Image is very poor but the coin could be nice.
(http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc462/joseywales10/26b_zps6eed763e.jpg)(http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc462/joseywales10/26a_zpsae90fb59.jpg)
That penny looks to have some meat on it and I wouldn't be surprised if those lighter marks on the high points are simply from where it's been touching a PVC album page or something similar. I'd be surprised if it wasn't a nice UNC brown coin.
I've had a few great wins buying coins from poor images. I've also had a number of fails. My four tips for buying from poor images are:
1. Buying copper from poor images is easier than silver. Because cleaned copper is easier to pick than cleaned silver.
2. Only buy silver from poor images if you can see some hint of mint lustre. If you don't see mint lustre then you're really flying blind.
3. Don't pay big money on coins with bad images. Only buy them if they are cheap.
3. Even if you do buy cheap be prepared to do your dough on a rubbish coin. Sometimes rubbish images are a direct result of a rubbish coin.
Hi echidna,
I would probably look at that one around the gEF / aUNC mark.
With poor images, sometimes the colours of a copper coin can indicate grade. For example a blurry photos can still show lustre / brightness. The pattern of the toning, ie: redness through legends is something I keep an eye out for.
This is just for photos though, scans are a different story altogether.
I haven't seen UNJPEG before. I'm not across how jpeg compression works, but a program like this could be ok ?
Quote from: 'Fr45h3R' pid='16970' dateline='1370159007'I haven't seen UNJPEG before. I'm not across how jpeg compression works, but a program like this could be ok ?
It don't believe it can work. JPEG is a lossy compression method, which basically means that information is lost to make the image small. No amount of "uncompression" can restore that information regardless of what some software tells you it can do.
It's as ridiculous as those movies where they use some grainy security camera image and miraculously zoom in 1000x to see the brand of someone's shoes or the colour of their eyes.
Quote from: 'markn' pid='16966' dateline='1370158134'That penny looks to have some meat on it and I wouldn't be surprised if those lighter marks on the high points are simply from where it's been touching a PVC album page or something similar. I'd be surprised if it wasn't a nice UNC brown coin.
I've had a few great wins buying coins from poor images. I've also had a number of fails. My four tips for buying from poor images are:
1. Buying copper from poor images is easier than silver. Because cleaned copper is easier to pick than cleaned silver.
2. Only buy silver from poor images if you can see some hint of mint lustre. If you don't see mint lustre then you're really flying blind.
3. Don't pay big money on coins with bad images. Only buy them if they are cheap.
3. Even if you do buy cheap be prepared to do your dough on a rubbish coin. Sometimes rubbish images are a direct result of a rubbish coin.
Well said Mark :good:
eBay is always a gamble unless you know who you are dealing with regardless of the images supplied on the listings.
I have been shafted by listings that have had great images of superb coins but have received crap coins instead :dash1:
I have also gambled on lousy pics and picked up gems.
I much prefer to buy off people I can trust and get EXACTY what I pay for :yahoo:
A 4 year old could take better pictures than I could so I simply scan most coins I sell, I will never outperform most eBay sellers but my buyers are always happy with what they get.
eBay used to be an amazing place to buy and sell before the ratbag scammers invaded the site.
It is still good but you have to have your wits about you and bid accordingly :ok:
I can remember before we had the luxury of sites like this and ebay buying coins off newsgroups ( probably way before most of you mobs time) and I had to wear a lot of crap deals but did get some great deals.
To surmise , simply go with your gut feeling and if that doesn't work make a list of the sellers that you can rely on :ok:
I usually move on unless the photo is good.
Sometimes you just got to take the gamble on some bad images, e.g.:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Australian-pennies-/151044202733?nma=true&si=XDurMovn7OVRFVWS69IiavMu69o%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
Honestly, when I was opening the packet I was thinking, why did I buy this?
Then:
(http://images.numismatics.com.au/jpg/photos/user/r16997.jpg)
(http://images.numismatics.com.au/jpg/photos/user/r16998.jpg)
:shock:
Can't repeat the words that just come out of my mouth.
Nice pickup.
Thanks Walter :good: I keep tellin everyone that my coins look better in hand than my crappy pic's, so take note people for when you see my beautiful pic's :winkextra:
Quote from: 'markn' pid='16975' dateline='1370161369'It's as ridiculous as those movies where they use some grainy security camera image and miraculously zoom in 1000x to see the brand of someone's shoes or the colour of their eyes.
You mean Blade Runner's not real? :icon_cry:
Quote from: 'wwwww' pid='18325' dateline='1371282766'Honestly, when I was opening the packet I was thinking, why did I buy this?
HOLY COW, BATMAN!!!!! :yahoo:
Verrrrryyyyy nice. Congratulations.
Quote from: 'Splock' pid='18342' dateline='1371286711'Quote from: 'markn' pid='16975' dateline='1370161369'It's as ridiculous as those movies where they use some grainy security camera image and miraculously zoom in 1000x to see the brand of someone's shoes or the colour of their eyes.
You mean Blade Runner's not real? :icon_cry:
Yes, something like that. Blade Runner is such a good movie I can forgive it. The various flavours of CSI that do it, I cannot forgive.
Hmmm. I appear to have deleted your smilie in my Sunday morning smilie purge.
Nice pick up walter!!!!
I'm going to regret writing this, although I'm sure everyone already has their eyes peeled, but I read a story on the old forum where a number of years ago someone took a flier on a very bad photo of a 1922 Threepence. Any guesses on what the delivered coin turned out to be? No prizes for correctly guessing.
NO! Seriously?
Quote from: 'coxspau' pid='18583' dateline='1371598883'I'm going to regret writing this, although I'm sure everyone already has their eyes peeled, but I read a story on the old forum where a number of years ago someone took a flier on a very bad photo of a 1922 Threepence. Any guesses on what the delivered coin turned out to be? No prizes for correctly guessing.
Would be nice for the buyer if that happened and sometimes it's worth taking a chance if its not high value
22/21 o'date 3p
think I read about it in CAB
This was about the worst seller photo I've ever seen:
(http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc462/joseywales10/T2eC16dHJHoFGlu9d6IBRpndHFN2Q60_35_zpsa7dafd4a.jpg)
In real life:
(http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc462/joseywales10/1924shilling_a2_zps8e342b96.jpg)
I agree with MARKNs comments about interpreting poor images - look for some lustre if its silver.
Also you can get some sort of idea about originality even with crappy pics.
oh wow nice coin, who would of guessed by that original pic
Just goes to show that not all bad photography is attempted fraud. Some of it is lack of skills.
Nice pickup. :)
I object..I'm skilled, just not at taking photo's of coins :mocking:
and I would have guessed AC..then again maybe not :laugh2:
Quote from: 'ausjack' pid='18666' dateline='1371641985'I object..I'm skilled, just not at taking photo's of coins
Yeah, we've seen your skills in action.
And very good skills they are too... ;)
As for taking pics of coins, as Mark says, its all in the lighting. One of these days I'll find enough horizontal space somewhere to set up the copy stand and lights permanently, but until then, its crappy hand-held pics from me with whatever light happens to be nearby at the time. :)
:dance: thanks mate, no sun here so no pic's today :winkextra:
I just use a table lamp, jack
I'm still trying to find the right light and thinking about using 2 like some have suggested..if you look at my other thread about grading the 2008 50 cent you'll see the different colours..I can admit I'm just hopeless at takin coin pic's :)
moved to another thread
Here is a perfect example of a crappy photo with the potential to be a really nice coin.
I will see when it arrives :ok:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/1946-Australian-Florin-Taken-From-Ram-Roll-Nice-Coin-/181158910945?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEWNX%3AIT&nma=true&si=YcWC1ay5Et4%252BPiPDfO4ZK0MdmZo%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc
Yeah,were there RAM rolls in 1946?,all bagged AFAIK.
there are rolls of the 1946 florins around
ask Walter
he knows about them - there was a hoard found in Switzerland or something like that
or was it the 1944 florin? I might have my wires crossed
they sometimes sell florin rolls at our auction house here too
The Vienna hoard rolls 1945 and earlier (mostly 1944-S).
There were Commonwealth Bank 1946 rolls but these were shipped via train from Melbourne to Sydney before being rolled so the coins are heavily bagged.
Quote from: 'wwwww' pid='19060' dateline='1371969957'The Vienna hoard rolls 1945 and earlier (mostly 1944-S).
There were Commonwealth Bank 1946 rolls but these were shipped via train from Melbourne to Sydney before being rolled so the coins are heavily bagged.
Well that just blew the chances of the coin I bought being any good clean out of the water :dash1:
all the florins were bagged, so you pretty well can't get any without bag marks
me thinks
and thanks Walter :) - I knew that you knew
I took a gamble on this one. Let's see what I get in the mail.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Australian-Silver-Florin-Royal-Visit-1954-/200940062610?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT&nma=true&si=2ImfT%252B887P1w9XWDLqMmp9ZyqdI%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc
Quote from: 'Fr45h3R' pid='21125' dateline='1373601256'I took a gamble on this one. Let's see what I get in the mail.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Australian-Silver-Florin-Royal-Visit-1954-/200940062610?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT&nma=true&si=2ImfT%252B887P1w9XWDLqMmp9ZyqdI%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc
Well spotted :good:
looks like a lot of lustre left on this, Not like the usual bashed and brutalised like a lot of these are.
Quote from: 'wwwww' pid='19060' dateline='1371969957'The Vienna hoard rolls 1945 and earlier (mostly 1944-S).
There were Commonwealth Bank 1946 rolls but these were shipped via train from Melbourne to Sydney before being rolled so the coins are heavily bagged.
I've heard stories of bags full of newly minted silver coins from the USA being man-handled (ie thrown) onto the docks during WW2.
Quote from: 'markn' pid='21132' dateline='1373606052'Quote from: 'wwwww' pid='19060' dateline='1371969957'The Vienna hoard rolls 1945 and earlier (mostly 1944-S).
There were Commonwealth Bank 1946 rolls but these were shipped via train from Melbourne to Sydney before being rolled so the coins are heavily bagged.
I've heard stories of bags full of newly minted silver coins from the USA being man-handled (ie thrown) onto the docks during WW2.
Looks like this one had a tough time of it on that bloody train then :dash1:
(http://www.australian-coins.net/gallery/albums/userpics/10019/46a.jpg)
(http://www.australian-coins.net/gallery/albums/userpics/10019/46.jpg)
it's a bit hard to tell
but that looks like roll damage
the other coins have rubbed the high points
it can knock an unc coin down to EF in grading terms (pity)
Quote from: 'markn' pid='21132' dateline='1373606052'I've heard stories of bags full of newly minted silver coins from the USA being man-handled (ie thrown) onto the docks during WW2.
Having watched someone who shall remain nameless throw sacks of coins around the room
("They're all circulated anyway!"), I can totally relate to that. :angel:
Almost as bad as watching Mike Rowe launder money in that big tumbler. :dodgy:
Ok this one cost me $20 US including postage.
Guess the grade on this one, I'll post my grade when it gets here.
It will be an interesting exercise :ok:
Here are the sellers pic's
(http://www.australian-coins.net/gallery/albums/userpics/10019/27a.jpg)
(http://www.australian-coins.net/gallery/albums/userpics/10019/27.jpg)
e/f at tops
my guess
Quote from: 'robbiegal' pid='22389' dateline='1374404311'e/f at tops
my guess
IF it does come in at EF then I will be more than happy with it :yahoo:
Quote from: 'trout' pid='22398' dateline='1374404788'Quote from: 'robbiegal' pid='22389' dateline='1374404311'e/f at tops
my guess
IF it does come in at EF then I will be more than happy with it :yahoo:
you know
it just might be a red herring this coin
that mace to the left, actually, on second looks, might be fully struck and have little wear?
just old Georges face looked quite worn' all the way down , so I figured e/f
The sellers pic's look like they are actually scans, These are notorious for not picking up the detail in coins with lustre.
Anyway it IS a turkey shoot But for $20 it was worth having a crack at :ok: