Photographing or Scanning the EDGE of a coin ?

[REDD]

I thought this would be as good a place as any to ask for any hints and or tips you guys have for getting a nice clean image or scan of the edge of a coin.

I don't have a DLSR, just an iphone, flatbed scanner and a digi-scope.

Ideally, as I have scanned the coin faces, I would like to scan the edge so the quality and look are the same., but I just can't get the speed and control of the coin right.

The digi scope gives decent pics but the colour and gain is way off, and can't be configured or changed (It's just a cheapy)

The iphone is what I've been using but its own colour balance etc messes with the colours etc sometimes.

 

Any help greatly received

 

[Nutsaboutcoins]

I've tried to photograph the names on the edge of military medals but with little success, so hope someone can com up with a solution.  

[bagerap]

Take the reflector from an old small torch. Place coin evenly in it a shoot from above. Reverse out the image with PhotoScape or Picassa or picture editor of your choice,

[Coinery]

I can't see any way around it other than multiple shots (the more the better) and blending them in a good bit of design software!

[REDD]

10 hours ago, bagerap said:

Take the reflector from an old small torch. Place coin evenly in it a shoot from above. Reverse out the image with PhotoScape or Picassa or picture editor of your choice,

I did try this, and the image was decent(ish), but I couldn't fathom out how to straighten it out using PSP9.
I sent the image to someone who should have been able to instantly recognise the coin type by the motto and he wasn't 100% sure, and as the project is a database for exactly that (for beginners as well as old-hats) it failed at that step

I was hoping there was a quick trick to scanning it, although from research it's always quoted as being a faff... and with over 170 coins that need doing (and another 2-300 i'd like to do), looks like there's a long road ahead !!

A contact of mine manages exceedingly good motto images, and he does exactly you suggested Coinery, he set up a jig with (I think) 12 rotation clicks, and takes a photograph of each 'segment' then stitches them together. Unfortunately for me, he has a decent camera and of course, the jig. He's also a very busy guy and a nightmare to get hold of never-mind get details or photos of his set-up.

(PS I realise the subject matter of my images is not what this whole forum is about, but you guys are probably the only ones who would want to get good pics of the edge of coins, whereas the new breed [circulation collectors especially] don't need to bother in the slightest)

[bagerap]

I should have expanded on my method a little. I have six reflectors of differing sizes (always on the look out for broken torches.) The size is important as the coin needs to be about 4-5 mm from the top edge, I've found this to give little or no distortion. Lighting is a bugger, particularly for silver coins, as I normally use a macro camera mounted approx 50 mm above the object.  But once you've cracked that it's pretty easy. I use it a lot for British tokens which normally have a "payable at..." edge. Next time I put the rig together, I'll put some pics up.