About Our Photos

Many photos of our products, particularly photographs of our antique coins are watermarked to protect the integrity of the market and prevent theft. If you find the watermark is interfering with your ability to determine the condition of a coin you are considering the purchase of, please contact us and we will assist you. 

Please keep in mind that at full magnification the photos do not do justice to the coins themselves. The high resolution photographs are intended to give you an extreme level of detail that will highlight many details of the coin that will not likely be visible to the naked eye unassisted. We offer this level of detail because all sales are final and we want there to be full disclosure when it comes to the condition of each coin.

"Salt or Pepper" in the images is not a defect in the image, the "Salt" or white marks in places is calcium buildup and typically easy to remove if you wish. The "Pepper" or dark black marks surrounding letters or inside of recessed areas is typically dirt but not all dark marks are dirt. Some dark marks are actually difficult to remove marks in the metal. It should be self evident if what you are seeing is removable dirt or non removable damage/stain based on where it has accumulated. Any green markings are often a chemical reaction. If you uncertain and on the cusp of purchasing a coin with what you think has dirt on it, you can email us and we can help you make a determination.

Coin photos are taken in a Lightbox with a Canon 60D and 100mm L Macro Lens set to automatic settings with a fixed shutter speed and fixed ISO. This does result in slight variations in the white balance of each photo however we have not noticed it to have any significant impact.

The coins in our opinion always look better in the hand than they do on the screen. The light you are looking at your coin under will cause the biggest changes in how it appears. In the photo below you can see an actual coin next to its photograph on the computer screen. Light from the window coming in from the left side illustrates what we mean.

Notice the high resolution photo shows a scratch at the bottom of the coin however the scratch is nearly invisible to the naked eye.