NumiHow to photograph coins and banknotes for your catalog
Capture both sides, keep inscriptions readable, and process a batch without losing track of which images belong together.
Set up once for the whole batch
Use a plain, matte background and a steady phone or camera. Start with one diffused light from the side. Move the light until the legend and relief are both readable, then take a test shot and check it at full size. A slight change in the angle of the light can help with a worn inscription. Reposition the light before tilting the coin or camera.
Choose a background that separates the edges of the object from the surface underneath. With banknotes, keep the camera square to the paper and include all four corners. If a note is fragile, put it on a clean support and photograph it as it sits. Keep holders in place when they are doing a better job of protecting the item than a new photo would justify.
Photograph the sides in a consistent order
Take the obverse and reverse one after the other, then move to the next piece. When an edge inscription, watermark or mint mark matters, take a third detail shot. Keep the full view alongside the close-up so the mark has a location.
For coins out of their holders, handle them by the edge. A small tray lined with a soft, clean material helps keep pieces from rolling or touching while you work.
Make a faithful record before you take detail shots
Give each piece a complete front and back photograph under the same light. If a low angle helps reveal an inscription or a light behind a note shows a watermark, keep those as separately labeled detail views. Photograph a ruler or a neutral reference next to the piece in an additional frame if dimensions or color matter to the identification. Leave a small margin so you can see clipped edges and irregular flan shapes.
The Federal Agencies Digital Guidelines Initiative discusses faithful reproduction, retaining edges, and avoiding enhancements that change the appearance of a documentary image. For a home catalog, a practical version is to keep an unedited original, label edited crops, and turn off beauty filters, automatic background removal, and aggressive sharpening. Zoom in after the shot to check that thin lettering survived rather than trying to fix it later.
Troubleshoot glare, blur, and cropped details
If reflective areas hide an inscription, move a large diffused light a little farther from the camera axis and compare a second exposure. With a slab, shift the reflection out of the lettering while keeping the camera aligned with the coin. If one edge of a banknote is softer than the other, check that the camera and supporting surface are parallel. Tap to focus on the object and take the photo with a timer if pressing the shutter moves the phone.
Before moving on to a new setup, check one copper coin, one reflective coin, or one detailed banknote from the actual batch. Legible marks at full size matter more to later research than how crisp the thumbnail looks.
Review before you save
Give the import batch a name you’ll recognize later. Check each suggested crop against the full photograph for clipped borders or missing legends. Pair the two sides and mark an uncertain attribution in your notes. If two similar pieces are in the same tray, compare their edges and surface marks before linking the reverse.
Once the collection record is saved, reopen it and make sure both views belong to the same piece. That quick check is easier today than it will be after the tray goes back into storage.