Coin Photography Studio

You can explore dozens more portraits in the Imperial Curls and Comb-overs gallery on my website, where rulers, philosophers, generals, and monarchs showcase the full spectrum of hairstyles depicted in metal across the centuries. See the link in my Bio.

It's World Book Day. There are many books celebrating coins, so it’s nice to see a coin celebrating a book. This Cuban issue commemorates the 30th anniversary of Ernest Hemingway’s Nobel Prize in Literature for his short novel “The Old Man and the Sea”. One of his most famous works, it tells the story of Santiago, an aging Cuban fisherman who struggles with a giant marlin far out in the Gulf Stream off the coast of Cuba. The novel was written in 1951 while Hemmingway lived in the country. It was the last major work of fiction by Hemingway that was published during his lifetime.

Most coins are photographed quickly—some are photographed carefully.

Exceptional numismatic photography of your collection. Get a quote at www.coinphotographystudio.com.

This was the era of men’s grandest hairstyles, never seen before and never seen since. King Christian VI's flowing hair was inspired by King Louis XIV of France and by his love for a full head of long, curly hair at the very beginning of his reign.

The 1746 Denmark and Norway Frederik V silver 3 Krone is a rare commemorative coin issued to mark the death of King Christian VI and the accession of King Frederik V.

You can explore dozens more portraits in the Imperial Curls and Comb-overs gallery on my website, where rulers, philosophers, generals, and monarchs showcase the full spectrum of hairstyles depicted in metal across the centuries. See the link in my Bio.

Seen up close, it’s hard not to think of coins as small works of art—composed, balanced, and shaped by the same principles you’d find on any canvas.

Just a different medium.

Working in metal means thinking differently about light, depth, and form. It’s less forgiving, more deliberate—and when it works, incredibly precise.

That’s what makes coin design so interesting. Not just what’s created, but how it had to be created.

Same coin. Different photographers. Completely different results.

It’s always a bit surprising how much variation shows up when multiple people shoot the exact same piece.
In the end, you’re not just seeing the coin—you’re seeing the photographer’s decisions layered onto it. 📸

If you were wondering, click to the next image to see my shot of this coin.

Hair today, gone tomorrow. The fellow on the 1947 Hungarian 5 Forint below is Lajos Kossuth, and in his mind a squirrel tail beard below the jaw line looks dashing. Or maybe he was trying to cover a double chin? I look at this portrait and think, “Sir, that is absolutely a comb-forward.” It is, but that's the style of the time and not his response to male pattern balding. Take a look at his Daguerreotype portrait from May 1852. I think you'll agree.

You can explore dozens more portraits in the Imperial Curls and Comb-overs gallery on my website, where rulers, philosophers, generals, and monarchs showcase the full spectrum of hairstyles depicted in metal across the centuries. See the link in my Bio.

Ancient coins are all about surfaces—tiny ridges from the die, softened legends, granular patina, and the sculptural relief of designs that have survived two millennia. Photography excels at revealing those tactile details that the eye often misses when a coin is tilted under a lamp.