T he P lanchet- I . C. C. MAY 2024

Issue# 654

A.N.A. C-131170 - I.S.N.A. LM 243 - C.S.N.S. L-600

Established 1939 and celebrating over 80 years of service
to the coin collector.

The next meeting will be Apr il 15th, 2024
Monthly meetings of the Indianapolis Coin Club are held the third Monday of each month at
the Northside Events and Social Club 2100 E. 71st Street in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The Meetings consist of a business session, educational program, an intermission, and anumismatic auction.
Doors open at 6:00 pm, meeting will begin at 7:00 pm.
1Issue# 654

MAY, 2024

As hopefully all of our members know, the ICC has a library that is free to use for it's members. The
current list of library books is available on the ICC website. Jim Sukup usually brings a few books
each month but we want to make sure that everyone is aware of the books that are available.
Email Jim prior to the meeting and he will bring your selection if it is available.

jsukup@rpiratings.com

Th is M on t h s Edu cat ion al Pr ogr am Will Be:
May 20th, 2024
Meeting start time: 7:00 PM

Th er e is a Hou se in
New Or lean s
by Jam es War den

2

Issue# 654

MAY 2024

A Few Words From Your Pr esident
by Sharon Bower
Coins and medals have played a crucial role in commemorating remarkable individuals andhistoric events throughout our nation?s history. In 1787, Colonel David Humphreys, an
American Revolutionary War colonel, aide-de-camp to George Washington, and this nation?sfirst presidential speechwriter, eloquently expressed the sentiment: ?Few inventions could be
more happily calculated to diffuse the knowledge and preserve the memory of illustrious
characters and splendid events, than medals?. This profound statement reflects theContinental Congress?s recognition of the significance of military medals. They instituted the
tradition of awarding these medals as the highest distinction of national appreciation for our
military heroes. These medals served as tangible symbols of valor, heroism, and sacrificeduring pivotal moments in the United States?War of Independence. Beginning one hundred+years later, the same could be said about our nation?s coinage as it began to incorporate real
historic figures from Christopher Columbus to George H. W. Bush.
Remember, just because something is on Wikipedia, doesn?t make it history! Coins capture
history ? if it?s on a coin, it?s history! One hundred years after President Lincoln?s birth, thefirst US president appeared on a coin in 1909. (Washington was proposed as a pattern 2-centpiece in 1860.) Two hundred years after President Washington?s birth, the new quarter designcame out in 1932. What events in recent years do you think might make on to coins in the
future??? One we know?
· In 2026, the Semiquincentennial (250th Anniversary) of America ? as part of the celebrationof America?s founding, the United States Mint plans to issue redesigned circulating coins in
2026.
What else might be celebrated on a medal or U.S. coin in the future?
· In 2061, the 100th anniversary of the birth of Barak Obama.
· In 2097, the 100th anniversary of the social media revolution.
· In 2119, the 100th anniversary of the US Space Force.
· In 2311, the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United Federation of Planets?
Clearly, I?m not some soothsayer, able to predict the future, so if you have an actual goodsuggestion ? perhaps you should send it in!
Edit or ?s Not e:
The views expressed in any article aresolely those of the author and do not
represent the views of the ICC, nor does
the ICC endorse any advertiser.

3

Issue# 654

MAY, 2024

Coin Scan Ext r act orby Cr aig A Joh n son

After Craig's presentation a few months ago several members expressed an interest in seeing thisin print so they can try at home. -editor
Now that we have the internet, we need good images of our coins to show them, and sellthem.
You are not going to buy anything off the internet these days without a photo of it in thelisting.
Phone cameras can be good enough for coin images, but they need to be in focus, with goodlighting - no flash glare, and arms, legs, fingers, cats and dogs, out of the photo ? but you arestill stuck with some image editing, and you have 2 images for front and back.
Let?s look at some current examples of some coin images from the web--This one on the left has take the multiple coin approach, but the image is not high enoughresolution to identify even the writing on the cardboard holders. The image on the right is alittle better, almost enough to get a feel for the grades of the coins, but no specifics.

4This image on the left is much better, and the image on the right is a circular clip from theoriginal, similar to what PCGS is doing.
Dots Per Inch - DPI, why does it matter? The higher the DPI, the better quality and detail you
can see in the image.
600dpi is a high-quality printing standard, 300dpi is about the lowest you want to print. I think
printing set the initial standards for imaging, the web is just a new medium for the same sortof advertising. The web displays all it?s images at 72dpi, so higher quality images are larger
than actual scale.
I think PCGS has set a new standard for coin images with their anti-counterfeiting program forcoins they certify:

I calculate this image to be 700dpi, and I arrive at that figure the following way ? The US
Morgan dollar pictured above is an inch and a half diameter, and I?m guessing that there is, intotal, a quarter inch of space on the left, center, and right of the image ? making the image
three and a quarter inch across.
Next, I download the image, and in file explorer I right click on it and select Properties fromthe bottom and then the Details of the popup window. Scrolling down I see that the image is2280 pixels wide (pixels are the dots of DPI).
Using the calculator, I divide 2280 by 3.25 and get 701.538 making my guess pretty accurate.
PCGS is setting the standard for coin imaging at 700 DPI. Most people can?t afford or needthat level of accuracy, 600dpi will do just fine in most cases. It?s good enough to grade a coin,
and is a pretty useful number, which we will get to in a little bit.
Top down coin photography seems to be the most popular, but there is some image editing
involved, and a lot of people are not able to do that.
The most common coin images are from camera phones, top down, with more sophisticatedusers editing the images.
I spent some time at my local coin shop ? Lost Dutchman Rare Coins on the east side ofIndianapolis. They showed me the imaging systems that they have set up, I think it?s 4
computers set up with Cannon 24 mega pixel camera bodies, with macro enabled tele-photolenses in a top down table mount, hooked up to the computer with a USB cable and using
EOS software so they can control the exposure, see the image, and click the shutter from thecomputer. They have two small desk lights that they illuminate the coins with. Most of the5images they make are of slabbed coins. That?s because of the time and expense of imaging,posting the coin for sale on eBay, and their website. This is an efficient process for thembecause they have something we do not ? staff, and a budget for expensive camera systems.
Top down photos with a camera phone are still the cheapest solution. A table stand for yourphone runs about $30 and you can eliminate a lot of problems, and get consistent photos
with little editing needed.
My problem was different, I acquired a 900 coin collection that I intended to resell starting a
new website. There was no way I wanted to take 1800 photos and photoshop the fronts andbacks together one at a time. There had to be a better way.
I discovered that over the years I had collected several flat-bed scanners. They all still worked,
and were designed for 32bit systems and could do 4800dpi. Unfortunately, when the 64bit
systems came out, the scanner manufacturers stopped supporting their old 32bit scanners.
Microsoft did have a generic TWAIN (Technology Without An Interesting Name) driver forscanners that maxed out at 600dpi. Exactly what I needed, so I wrote a quick and dirty
windows utility program to break up images of scanned coin sheets and match the fronts andbacks into single coin images broken out of the larger image from a flat-bed scanner.
I should probably talk a bit about flat-bed scanners first. The old ones from before 2010 are
easily found on the used market, usually with out the power plug. Most have a lock on theback for shipping that prevents damaging the camera. I have both a CannoScan 8600F and an
8800F. You can find the 8800f scanner for $30 on the internet, but you?ll never find the
propriety power cord for it. The 8600f is also found on the internet for $60-$90 and you can
get a generic power plug for it for $10-$15. I bought one of the new cannon scanners,
thinking I could save some time. I paid $90 for a CanoScan LIDE 400. It was smaller, faster andhalf the weight of the older scanners, about half the height too. You could fit it in a backpack
if you wanted. The software for it has been dumbed down for collage students, getting it toscan above 300dpi is a hassle, and the 4800dpi mode is defaulted to the size of a postage
stamp. There are ways to make do a full-page scan at 1200dpi - but it took me three days tofigure it out ? it was not easy. On my first coin scan, the front was a bit out of focus, and thebacks were so out of focus, I could not use them, or the scanner for coin scanning. The image
to be scanned, must be right up against the glass, and the staples in the cardboard holder are
the real problem. This scanner would be good for paper currency or postage stamps, but nogood for coins. It?s because the camera is half the height of the old ones, there is no depth offield for the focus.
For this application, the old scanners are better than the new ones.
On to the software ?
I designed the coin scan extractor software for use with a flatbed computer scanner thatscans images at 600dpi with an image size of 5100x7000 pixels. The program can be adapted
to professional photography with top down photos and lighting but that would require somecustomization of this software (which I?m working on) and a 40 mega pixel camera on a
mount above the imaging area and professional lighting on two sides.
This flat bed scanner version is better adapted to collectors that want to document theircollection quickly, or small-time internet/eBay sellers that want to save some time. You can?tsell anything on the internet these days without a decent photo. 600dpi images are goodenough to see the details on coins, and the buyer can better judge the grade themselves.
6

The images you scan will need to use some sort of template ?
I?ve adapted the code to process a sheet of 20 coins (5 rows of 4)
and a sheet of slabbed coins 3x3. There are three common coinpage holders for 3 ring binders out there that can be used:
This is a typical 2x2 sheet with 5 rows of 4. You can put yourcoins directly into the pouches, or take your coins that are
already stapled into 2x2 cardboard holders and insert them into
the pouches. Using the cardboard holders allows you to write
notes on the cardboard for easier reference ? typically the date,
mintmark, and your take on the grade.
You can also add a date ofacquisition, a price paid (or pricecode), sale price, or for use with thisimage scanning system a unique reference number that can beused in the image file name (which you can specify or modify).
These sheets will likely be the majority of the scans this program
will process, and your collection probably has more sheets likethis than any other. Make sure you use the PVC free ones
though.
The next common page holder that this software will work with isa ridged, snap lock, 2x2 sheet of 5 rows of 4 that is designed forheavy duty plastic coin holders that snap shut.
If you need a good, free, image editor try GIMP for Windows. It?san open source Linux program that was so popular and powerful, they made a Windows
version of it.
Here is an example of the ridged plastic 2x2 coin page holder. The major problem with thisholder is that the plastic that extends to connect to the ring binder is flush with one side of
the holder, and the other side has a quarter inch depression to hold the coins.
That makes one side of the holder easy to scan, but the other side is much more difficult. It
will work, but it may take a few tries to get the images lined up
correctly.
I really do like these holders because I prefer the plastic coin
snap holders better than the cardboard ones ? the staples
being the biggest drawback.
After having done a few coin shows with these, I hate themnow. When a customer opens it up to buy a coin, the rest fall
all over the table and the floor. I think they are for collectorsthat will let their surviving spouse eventually sell off the entire
collection.
The slab holders are also nice, and do not have the one-sided
tab problem the ones above do, but you can only get nine to apage, and because the coins are offset in the slab you lose all
possible alignment of the front and back of the coin (since thebacks are always upside down to the face).
7

The most difficult part of getting the images right is the brightness and contrast settings ofyour scans. Gold will need the least lightness push, silver a bit more, and dull copper coins
will need a lot. You don?t want to wash out the details, but you do need to be able to easily
see the dates and mint marks with enough detail to judge wear and grade of the coin.
Here are a couple examples that will help show what I?m talking about:

These are from my first scan attempts and are probably both a bit too dark, but on the 600dpi
image, you can still zoom in and see the details on each coin. A lot of effort is put into
photographing coins at larger coin shops for internet sales, and some of that effort is wasted? you only need an image good enough to show its general appearance - (eye appeal), and thedetails needed to grade it. 600dpi with decent lighting is good enough to do that.
I can understand why larger coin shops pay for professional, well lit, photos of their coins.
Unfortunately, it?s slow and expensive because they are not doing 20 coins at a shot like thissoftware tool will do. Since I have a large laser cutter and an abundance of 8.5x11 white
acrylic sheets, I may offer some other templates in the future for various coin types. Withround circles cut in the sheet, you can more easily align the coins and then flip each over in its
slot for the reverse scan. I?ve seen several coin shops with a box of loose silver dollars thissort of set up would work for, but if they are not willing to put them into 2x2 cardboard
holders in the first place, they may not be worth the effort.
I bet Large Cents would do well with an acrylic template and top down photographs.
Let?s take a look at the program I?ve written:

The program assumes that you already have some scanned images to process. The first box
8holds the file path, and you can use the Front Image button to browse your file system or
network for it. Same with the Back Image button. Next you need to identify where you want it
to dump the processed images at. The Destination button will browse to a file folder you wantthem put into, starting in the folder the application resides in.
The Prefix Text box is where you enter the text that you want these file names to start with ?
Lincoln Pennies you might enter PNY-LIN- or Morgan Silver Dollars might be DOL-MOR- etc. It
can be whatever naming convention you want ? Sheet01.
I?ve defaulted the Numeric Sequence Start to be 5 digits and you can start with any number
you want. The default is 1, or you can pick the number you left off with and add one to that.
You may have more than 20 pennies after all.
Next you have some check boxes ? did you flip the page over? Or each coin? Are you using a
2x2 page or a slab?
The Zoom in mm is a good feature if you have small coins and don?t care about the labels
written on the holder. You need good alignment for both scans to make this work well.
Here?s an example of one I tried:As you can see the front back alignment can be an issue and you need to make sure the coins
are all seated in the holder page correctly. Scanning the back side can also be an issue andyou may have to scan them more than once to get a good alignment until you get the knackof it or have some sort of system that works for you.
The Zoom in mm only allows positive whole numbers (integers) between 13 and 47.
There is no install for this program, it?s just a stand-alone exe file. Make a short cut for it on
your desktop and let your anti-virus software know that it?s safe, you might need to make an
exception for it in the software. It?s getting so Microsoft won?t let you run anything on yourcomputer these days that they didn?t have something to do with.
If you are interested in a commercial version of this software that processes professional
photographs, I can customize it, but you will need a 40mp camera to start with to get theresolution you need.
Send me an email, I will reply if I have time.
Craig A. Johnson
craig@coins-r-us.com

9Issue# 654

MAY, 2024

Announcements:
From Joe Boling: WANTED - a collector in New York contacted me looking for a set of fantasy tokens
made in LaPorte Indiana in 1970. They are from Purple Shaftieuland and are denominated one
nudge, one twist, and 1/4, 1/2, and full shaft. See the following website for details about them.
http://chiefacoins.com/Database/Micro-Nations/Purple-Shaftieuland.htm
If anyone has a set in either metal to offer, contact me at joeboling@aol.com and I will provide
contact information for the New York collector.
Joe

Just a reminder of some upcoming local shows.

71st St r eet Coin & Cu r r en cy Sh ow
Northside Events Center
2100 E. 71st Street
Indianapolis, IN 4622
June 9, 2024
July 14, 2024
October 21, 2024
Ear ly Am er ican Copper s
Wyndam Indianapolis West2544 Executive Drive
Indianapolis, IN 46241
May 16-19, 2024
M ich ian a Coin Sh ow
Sts. Peter & Paul Social Hall
59250 Keria Trail
South Bend, Indiana 46614
May 19, 2024

Tr i Cit ies Coin Sh ow
St Mathias Church Hall
101 W Burrell Dr
Crown Point IN 46307
May 25, 202410

Issue# 654

MAY, 2023

Adver t ise in t h e In dian apolis Coin Clu b
New slet t er !
Th e cost is on ly $35.00 f or a bu sin ess car d size adf or 11 issu es!

PLEASE try to have correct change, or at least use
smaller bills, to pay for auction items that you win.
Especially troublesome are $50's and $100's whichquickly drain the change that is available. That change ispersonal money, and it will be greatly appreciated by thechanger and auction assistants to make giving changeeasier and more efficient.

11

Issue# 654

MAY, 2024

May 2024 Auction Lotsfor 5/20/2024
Description

Grade

Additional Notes

Starting Price

1941 D Walking Liberty Half Dollar

Fine

10.00

1952 D Franklin Half Dollar

Fine

10.00

1963 Franklin Half Dollar

XF

10.00

1964 Kennedy Half Dollar

AU

10.00

1964 D Kennedy Half Dollar

AU

10.00

1917 $1 FR-36 Short Snorter

VG

27.00

1955 D Nickle

NGC 66

15.00

1955 Mint set in original cards

Cat= $358

310.001899 half dollar

G

13.00

1917 D Type 1 Quarter

AG

8,00

1926 Quarter

VF

10.00

1865 2 Cent

VF

25.00

Set 1937-56 British Farthings

24 coins in Whitman Fldr

16.00

1937 Coronation Silver Cronw

Unc

40.00

1780 Dated Maria Theresa Thaler

VG

1914 S Philippines Centavo

XF

1768 Japan 4 Mon

VF

H-25.54

8.00

Australia 1927 2 ShillingFine

asw .3363

10.00

Australia 1954 2 ShillingVF

asw .3363 Royal Visit

10.00

1935 F Silver Certificate

CU

Consecutive pair

20.00

1953 A * $2

PCGS 64

CV=$9480.00

Hafner-41

30.00
5.00

Plus much more.

Your auction lots could be listed right here.
Any active ICC member can put lots in to our monthly auctions.
Send them to the editor by the Thursday before each months meeting.

12

Issue# 654

MAY, 2024
M in u t es of t h e ICC M eet in g on M ar ch 18, 2023

Open - The meeting was held at the Northside Events and Social Club, 2100 E. 71 St., Indianapolis, Indiana, which
was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by ICC President Sharon Bower. The At t en dan ce Pr ize was a 1963 Franklin half
dollar donated by Steve Howery. There were 26 people in attendance.
The Secr et ar y 's Repor t for March 2024 was accepted as published in the Planchet, by a duly made motion thatwas seconded and passed by the membership. The Tr easu r er 's Repor t for March 2024 was accepted as
published in the Planchet, by a duly made motion that was seconded and passed by the membership.
Visit or s? There were no visitors at this meeting.
Repor t s of Com m it t ees? Jim Sukup with the library committee noted that the nine library books that Bill
Eckberg donated last month were available for checkout at today?s meeting, and that Bill had donated another 14
books at today?s meeting that will be catalogued and available at our May meeting.
Old Bu sin ess? Gary Selig asked if there were any volunteers that would like to help with resurrecting the ISNA
show in 2025. There will be no ISNA show in 2024 as reported last month. Jim Sukup said that name badges will
be available for members next month.
New Bu sin ess? Andy Nahrwold reported on the passing of member Kevin Hunt, who ran The Coin Hunt coinshop. Bill Eckberg again reminded attendees that the Early American Coppers Convention is scheduled for May
16th -19th at the Wyndham Indianapolis West Hotel. It was also noted that the ?Second Sunday? show at theNorthside Events and Social Club will be held on the first Sunday in May (the 5th ) because Mother ?s Day is on thesecond Sunday of May.
Nu m ism at ic Fin ds an d Not es of In t er est : Joe Boling passed around a short snorter that he acquired at the
MPC Fest in Ohio which had been signed by him and several other notable numismatists from the 1999 ANA
show. Jim Anderson showed a 1943 cent planchet strip that he recently acquired, and Steve Howery found 14
coins in a Coinstar machine.
Edu cat ion al Pr ogr am : Steve Howery gave the Educational Program talk titled ?Confederate Notes.? Steve
showed examples of the different types of Confederate Notes, called ?T? notes for the various design changes
through the years they were issued, from 1861 through 1864, with 72 different ?T? designations. Millions ofConfederate notes were printed by ten different printers through the years, with the first four ?T? notes being
printed in New York and the rest in Southern states. Confederate Note prices can vary widely, with condition andrarity being the main guidance for these notes. Contemporary Counterfeit Confederate Notes were quite
common, and one enterprising northerner printed over 1.5 million notes with a face of over 15 million dollars
that stated on the bottom of each copy that they were facsimile Confederate Notes. Many copies of Confederate
Notes were sold during the 1960?s as souvenirs in museums during the Civil War centennial.

Au ct ion ? The auction was fairly light with 7 auction sheets, with $7.00 going to the Club.
Fif t y-Fif t y Dr aw in g: The prize for the 50/50 drawing totaled $80.00, with the club receiving $40.00
and the winner $40.00. The At t en dan ce Pr ize was also awarded.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:17 p.m., and our next regular meeting will be on Monday, May 20,
2024.
Respectfully submitted,
Jim Sukup, Secretary (jsukup@rpiratings.com)

13

Issue# 654

MAY, 2024

Tr easu r er 's Repor t f or Febr u ar y 2024:
My treasurer 's report is as follows: following last month's meeting, I deposited $47 into the club account. I
mailed a check for room rental a few days ago for $100 to the Northside Events Center. The club has$25,555.83 in its checking account.. That's my report.

Jerry C.

$3827.44

Th e 2024 In dian apolis Coin Clu b
Of f icer s an d Boar d M em ber s:

Wildm an Coin s

President
Sharon Bower
Vice-President
Don WraySecretary
Jim Sukup
Treasurer
Gerald Coraz
Newsletter Editor
Christopher Bower
Past President
Jim Sukup
Sgt-at-Arms
Jim Warden
Board Member 2023-2024
Vinton DoveBoard Member 2023-2024
Andy Nahrwold
Board Member 2023-2024
Jim Roehrdanz
Board Member 2024-2025
Louise Boling
Board Member 2024-2025
Jeff Bercovitz
Board Member 2024-2025
Steve Howery

Christopher Bower
ANA# LM7017
Specialist in World Coins,
Tokens, and Medals

443-786-6584
ch r isb8626@m sn .com

14

Issue# 654

MAY, 2024

In dian apolis Coin Clu b
2024 M eet in g Dat es & Edu cat ion al Pr ogr am s
January 18, 2024 - ?Proposed Indiana Tax Legislation ?-by Donn Wray
* Prize sponsor: Gerald Coraz
February 19, 2024 - 'Technology for Numismatic Imaging??- by Craig Johnson* Prize sponsor: Crag Johnson
March 18, 2024 - 'Kennedy Halves' - by Gary Selig* Prize sponsor: Gary Selig
April 15, 2024 - 'Confederate Currency? - by Steve Howery* Prize sponsor: Steve Howery
May 20, 2024 - 'There is a House in New Orleans' - James Warden* Prize sponsor: James Warden
June 17, 2024 - 'T. B. D.? - by T. B. D.
* Prize sponsor: T. B. D.
July 15, 2024 - 'T. B. D.' - by James Roehrdanz* Prize sponsor: James Roehrdanz
August 19, 2024 - 'T. B. D.? - by T. B. D.
* Prize sponsor: T. B. D.
September 16, 2024 - Exhibit Night* Prize sponsor: I. C. C.
October 21, 2024 - 'T. B. D.' - by Christopher Bower* Prize sponsor: Christopher Bower
November 18, 2024 - ?The Annual State of the Hobby Address?- Mark Eberhardt* Prize sponsor: T.B.A.
Tuesday, December 3, 2024 ? NO MEETING - I.C.C. Holiday Banquet* For 2024 we are continuing the 'Attendance Prize' drawing at each monthly meeting as an added incentive
for all I.C.C. members to attend as many meetings as possible and to encourage new membership. Everyone
attending each regular monthly meeting will receive a prize ticket when they arrive at the meeting and sign inat the greeting table. The prize each month will be a 90% silver U.S. Half Dollar (or equivalent value coin, $5 ormore) The I.C.C. Board members and officers as well as several I.C.C. members chose to act as sponsors anddonate the monthly prizes rather than funding them from our budget. You'll find the monthly prize sponsor
listed below each monthly meeting date above. You'll just have to show up to see what you may win!
Please keep this in mind each month; regardless of who is giving the monthly program and/or the topic, we owe it tothat person and the membership to remain quiet and pay attention during the program. It?s important that we
respect the knowledge that is being shared with us as well as the time and effort the speaker is donating to our club.
The same rules should apply to our monthly auctions; please remain quiet and pay attention. Thank you.

15

Issue# 654

MAY, 202416

Issue# 654

MAY, 2024

Lost Dutchman
Rare Coins
4983 N Franklin Rd. Indianapolis, IN(317) 545-7650
Your Local Full Service Coin Shop Since 1985

Specializing in Rare U.S. & World Coins.
Thinking of selling? WE PAY MORE!
Buying & Selling
US & World Coins, US Paper Money
Key Date Coins, Graded Coins, Complete Sets
Gold and Silver In All Forms
Military Collectibles

VISIT OUR WEBSITE TODAY!

http://www.LDRCoins.com
17