I always end up with a reflection, or too much light, or too little, or glare, or blurriness.

What's the best way to photograph a coin in order to post a pic on here?
There are some coins I'd like to submit for the ugly coin and popular coin contests, but there's no way they'll get in with the way I take pics nows, which is mostly taking a bunch of pics, trial and error, and picking the best out of 3,190,471,075 pics of the same coin.

Argh

any help?

We all have our own methods from expensive, complex set ups to Tiffany's method of bracing herself against a small refrigerator. Omnicoin offers some web link tips that might help:

http://www.omnicoin.com/news/Default.aspx?tabid=63

Tiff's method is not one I would recommend if you're my age ... Get a tripod or copy stand. Another outstanding method is described here. The thread is old, so the photos are missing, but you can easily garner the information needed. This method works very well for capturing color on toned coins and lustre on MS coins.

Why not scan? It's the easiest and most foolproof method. Using PSP or similar any lack of contrast can be corrected.

Hi Cojaro,

Scanning gets my vote, you can get a level of detail on a cheap flatbed scanner that's almost impossible to get without a decent macro lens and tripod setup.

Focussing is never an issue when scanning but I'm always very careful placing my coins on the glass to avoid scratching it.

hth,

Abe