PCGS TrueView

[HaydenTubbs]

I depends on what you want the pictures to show,they seem to be good with toning...

[AuldFartte-migration]

I've never seen better photos of coins than PCGS's TrueView.

Thier photographer (Phil) is the best I've ever seen with regard to coin photography.

[MikeKing]

I think the photos are fantastic, and as such, I guess, it could be argued that they are not realistic. Personally, I love them. I had about ten coins, maybe less, photographed by them, and I was really pleased with all but two. Those two were very nice, but something was lost, and I don't know why. Apparently, you can email the photographer beforehand to make requests re the photography.

 

What I like the best is the ability to blow up the pics and see extraordinary detail.

[JamminJ]

Looks like the service has been discontinued.

[JJSingleton]

I believe the True View service is still available, it is just not being actively solicited. My understanding is that it gunked up the standard grading operations and therefore put on the backburner.

 

Phil is a great photographer, and I really enjoyed his work when he participated on the forum prior to accepting the position with PCGS. However, IMO the true view images put too much emphasis on making each coin look special, instead of producing images that best represent the coin in hand. Sometimes those goals conflict.

 

Some true view images have won my Cartoon View™ award. Just a bit too juiced to be believable. I'm sure there are others who disagree.

[DC Dawg]

TrueView is still available and PCGS advertises it in the Numismatist almost every month. I have also seen ads for TrueView in Numismatic News.

 

Scott

[Gold1-migration]

I think they look good my opinion!

[James_OldeTowne]

Do you believe that PCGS's TrueView service provides accurate, lifelike images of coins?

No way, no how. They are remarkably NOT accurate in my experience.

 

Attractive and exciting to look at? Often, which is why the coins are so often a letdown when you see them after viewing the images.

[IGWT]

3 1/2 years late to the party, James.

[comicdonna]

Better late than never.

[mike169]

Do you believe that PCGS's TrueView service provides accurate, lifelike images of coins?

No way, no how. They are remarkably NOT accurate in my experience.

 

Attractive and exciting to look at? Often, which is why the coins are so often a letdown when you see them after viewing the images.

 

I have decided to join the party too.

 

I agree with James. Furthermore, I would like to add that there is no coin photographer who is perfect, and it is important to always review the coin in person before committing to a purchase.

 

I personally find large photographs very distracting and misleading. The most misleading of these is when trying to magnify a trime or a dime in order to show the "magnificent" toning. My personal preference is that toning brings more eye appeal for large coins such as halves and dollars, and to some extent quarters, than they are for smaller coins. Some may disagree.

 

Some may argue that a coin looks better in hand than in the picture because the picture magnifies the faults. I disagree with this also. First, when looking at coins, I hardly use a magnifier, and many people don't also. Second, if we do use a reasonably powered magnifier, we will see the same effect of fault magnification also.

 

Thus, while photos are good, they only provide a guideline as to what the coin actually looks like in person.

 

 

[eggbone]

Absolutely!

[Forest City]

Sorry to resurrect an ancient post, but I had some comments based on my recent purchase.

 

I bought a few 19th Century foreign Proofs, which looked tremendous on PCGS True View, with fiery multi-hued toning. In hand, they are dull dark grey.

 

I understand that some Proofs are dull until you pop them in the right light, but no matter what light I put these under, I'm having trouble understanding how they got the photos they did. My only conclusion is there was a lot of effort in photoshop.

 

I already make it a point not to use NGC photos to judge potential coin purchases, because most coins look so poor in their scans. I guess now I will have to take PCGS into account in the opposite regard.

[jgenn]

Coins photographed in the raw, as I believe the TrueViews are, can use lighting angles that are impossible to replicate after they are slabbed due to the reflection off the plastic surface.