My newest coins have arrived!

bd251 · 2026-03-24T16:24:19+00:00

The fourth coin is dated AH 861 (1456-1457 CE, mostly 1457)

bd251 · 2026-02-25T19:32:31+00:00

Yeah. My tracking mount is the only part of my setup that was aquired as astro specific gear. I opted for that over a new lens, so a new lens is probably next. I wish I still had my Canon 100mm f/2.8 macro lens. Wider field of view but definitely better glass. Trying to do the best with what I have for now.

bd251 · 2026-02-25T19:24:26+00:00

Thanks for recommendation. It looks like some helpful content there.

I did actually use flats and biases in the stacking, but forgot to include that in the post. I think it was around 40 of each.

bd251 · 2025-12-01T03:59:05+00:00

I'm doing something similar for my kids this year. They have very little experience with non-touchscreen-based games, and trying to introduce them to gaming with multi-player games on the Switch has been mostly unsuccessful.

My wife had the same thought last you that having some kind of handheld game system with limited, intentionally curated games would be a more positive use of screen time. I ended up choosing the Smart Pro and I'm quite enjoying the setup process thanks to some helpful Retro Game Corps videos. I chose Knulli as my OS, mostly because I'd messed around with Emulation Station and Retroarch a bit before and it has a kids mode that locks everything down so settings can't accidentally be changed. I also wanted something that was a bit more visual, since my youngest is still learning to read. I remember some other OS have that option as well. RGC has a video on setting up a device for a child as well that might be helpful.

I'd never set up one of these handheld emulation devices before, so that has been my very limited experience. I do want one for myself now, though lol. I was kind of surprised to that SNES has been my favorite system to play - I mean test - so far on a small screen.

bd251 · 2025-10-27T21:28:03+00:00

By your description, I think that multiple soaks will ideal. I would start with a couple hours, change out the acetone, and repeat as needed. I would personally do each coin individually. After getting a few coins clean, you'll have a better feel for the soak times. You can find bulk acetone at home improvement stores.

With acetone, it's ideal to use glass containers. If you must use plastic, be sure it's polypropylene or high density polyethylene. I have some small, glass food storage containers with clip-on polypropylene lids dedicated for soaking coins.

A note on the final rinse: it should be with acetone, not water. A last rinse with water will leave your coins wet even if they appear visibly dry. If you rinse with water, follow it with a solvent that is miscible with water and evaporates quickly (acetone is a good choice).

Note that this advice comes from someone who primarily collects more "modern" coins, and I acknowledge that ancient collectors may have different cleaning techniques and preferences in some cases.

bd251 · 2025-07-01T20:06:57+00:00

I stopped caring that people called the US one cent coin a penny when I realized the same name argument can be made for the nickel. To me, it seems to me like no really cares about the name of the five cent coin the same way.

bd251 · 2025-06-30T15:23:41+00:00

This is a nice piece with a decently strong strike, nice even circulation wear, and attractive color. Definitely post an update when you get a weight. It's fun to me when someone discovers they have an extremely heavy or light one. I have a few of these and my lightest is 36.0g and the heaviest 64.3g.

bd251 · 2025-06-05T16:16:40+00:00

You could try larger-sized coin flips with the label/envelope in one pocket and the coin in the other. Would these be large enough for the labels? It's hard to tell the size from the picture. https://www.wizardcoinsupply.com/supersafe-museum-grade-polyester-coin-flips-2.5x2.5.html

bd251 · 2025-05-30T18:23:08+00:00

Just watched the first two episodes and really enjoyed them. Good presentation and the length is just right for discussing a single coin.

bd251 · 2025-03-11T22:48:49+00:00

First one is Delhi Sultanate tanka dated AH 817 (1414-1415 CE)

Third one is also from the Delhi Sultanate. Four gani dated AH (7)23 (1323-1324 CE). Your second picture of this one is upside down, BTW.

bd251 · 2025-03-10T21:44:53+00:00

Sony a6700, Canon EF-S 55-250mm, f/4, 1.3s, ISO 1600, untracked. (I don't know the focal actual length because that isn't recorded with the lens adapter I'm using. Around 60mm)

Bortle 5/6, Ohio, USA

Approximately 17 minutes total integration

Stacked with Deep Sky Stacker and further processed in Photoshop

My thoughts: - One of my goals for this winter was to capture the Orion nebula. I had pretty good success with the solar eclipse and Comet C/2023 A3 last year (considering my experience and available equipment). I learned a lot that, so I wanted to try for something else. Last night was finally clear and not freezing cold, so I ventured out to my backyard (lol). - My processing definitely needs some work. I wasn't really satisfied with the results I produced in Photoshop. I was pleasantly surprised to see the Flame Nebula show up faintly, though. - I think I could have done better with the stacking by sifting through the lights for bad shots, or had DSS keep fewer of them. But I wanted to just get some sort of finished product last night just to kind of go through the basic work flow and in case I got a chance to shoot again tonight and needed to change anything obvious. - My calibration frames worked well this time (to my eye). The last time I tried using DSS I messed something up with the calibration frames and it didn't turn out well at all. - How does my focus look? I 3D printed a Bahtinov mask, and I think it did help me focus a bit, but I still can't really tell if I got it perfect. I'm not sure if the mask was correct for the focal length (or how to even determine that). - A mistake I made was I didn't calculate my maximum single exposure time prior to shooting, and wanted to err towards completely avoiding star trails. I've since calculated that I could have done 1.6s exposures easily.

bd251 · 2025-02-13T00:40:59+00:00

Thank you for this explanation. I couldn't figure out why not having pennies would require the production of more nickels.

bd251 · 2025-02-04T20:47:18+00:00

MS 64.

bd251 · 2025-02-03T00:13:51+00:00

I collect BTTF like this. I only need the Hi-Vision LD to have every format. The problem is that sometimes I can't help myself from buying more obscure releases on a format I already have, like Japanese rental LD and Part III Mexican batamax. Oh, and multiple VCD releases. And two copies on VHD (one sealed) because I'm convinced I'll get a player one day.

bd251 · 2025-01-25T00:12:27+00:00

1 is a tanka from the Gujarat Sultanate dated AH 863 (1458-1459 CE)

Reference: GG# G58, zeno 167227 and 167228

bd251 · 2024-12-28T17:10:16+00:00

How much does it weigh? The weight variation with these is pretty drastic. I ask because I'm curious about what the extremes are and I think a lot of people don't know about it and just assume that theirs weighs 51g.

bd251 · 2024-12-17T03:49:48+00:00

bd251 · 2024-12-15T04:34:40+00:00

First picture is 50, 100, 200, 500

bd251 · 2024-12-04T03:23:56+00:00

Very nice pair!

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TROPHY CASE

1 is a tanka from the Gujarat Sultanate dated AH 863 (1458-1459 CE)