Great Free Pro Photo Editor

For readers who do not have a photo-editing program I highly recommend VicMan Pro Editor. I have tried it and I am very impressed with the easy to use functions. The following information on VicMan is from Soft32.com.

Free, customizable, and easy-to-use are the words that best describe this program. When I first saw the program, I couldn't believe that it was free. Therefore, I started searching for hidden options or disabled features. I couldn't find any, thus the only thing I can do is congratulate the publisher. VCW VicMan's Photo Editor supports opening many types of images. The saving formats include JPG, BMP, PNG, TGA, TIF, and PCX. I guess this is more than enough for non-professional software. The program also supports the application of visual effects to images. These effects are organized into categories for easier access. Most of them have a preview panel, which allow you to see how the image would look, if you apply the filter. By using a couple of tools, which include a brush, a pencil, an eraser, and a fill tool, you can also draw on the picture. You can use this software to create color gradients on your pictures or add text. The downside is that you can't resize the text after you add it to the image. Pluses: This program includes a magic wand tool, which can select a region of the image that contains same-color pixels. Another good feature is its ability to obtain images directly from a scanner.

Click on the following and you will find a free download Pro: http://tinyurl.com/6gxi Please let me know what you think. You will see a photo above where I played with some of the art functions and enjoyed very much. Oh, see if you can find the “errors” on the coin. God Bless.. Jerry..

Want To Share With Us?

If you have an article related to ancient coins and would like to share with our readers, I will be more than happy to consider what you have. Perhaps you have already written something or perhaps you would like to write something just for the blog. If so, please send the article to me at the following e-mail: jceaus@yahoo.com I will be more than happy to consider the article for publication. Thanks and God Bless.. Jerry..

Ancient Coin Terms

I have developed a list of commonly used ancient coin terms. If you have a term you would like to see added please drop me a note. Also, if you disagree with the definition of a term(s) please let me know. Please bookmark for future reference. Thank you and God Bless..

Ancient Coin Terms

Alloy: Mixture of metals.
AE: Bronze coin.
AR: Silver coin.
AU: Gold Coin.

Biga: Chariot pulled by two horses
Billon: Low Grade silver.
Commemorative: Special coin issued to commemorate a person, place or event.
Cuirassed: Bust on coin is depicted wearing armor.
Diademed: Ribbon or pearls in hair.
Draped: Cloak on shoulder(s) of bust.
Denarius: Silver Roman coin.
Exergue: Area at bottom of coin on reverse.
Field: Area in and around the positive elements on obverse and reverse.
Flan: Metal blank. The dies are used to strike the flan.
Grade: Rating of the quality of a coin.
Incuse: Recessed design in the surface of the coin.
Laureate: Bust of coin is depicted wearing laurel wreath.
Legend: Inscription on coin. Can be found on reverse and or obverse.
Some coins do not have a legend.
Mint Mark: Some kind of “mark” used as a symbol to indicate where the
Coin was minted.
Mule: The obverse and reverse of the coin are incorrectly combined.
Nimbus: Halo

Potin: Bronze with a high percentage of tin and lead.
Quadriga: Chariot drawn by four animals. Typically horses.
Radiate: A spiked crown on head of bust.
SC: When found on coin, indicates senate approval of coin’s issue.
Abbreviation for Senatus Consulto.
Sestertius: Largest coin of the Roman Imperial Period.
Solidus: Gold coin from the period of Constantine I.
Standard: Pole upon which a “flag” is fixed.
Tone: The degree of lightness and darkness of a coin.
Trachy: A concave coin.

Triga: Three horses abreast.
Tripod: Three legged stand.

Posthumous Constantine: Zapped And "Mint"?

I was zapping a group of coins today and saw what appeared to be a very nice Constantine Quadriga. The coin is also called the "Hand of God" coin. The coin was already showing a great deal of promise when I began to "baby" it with my bamboo stick each time I pulled it from the solution.

I had no idea how nice the coin would be. I wanted to leave patina so I watched it carefully. The coin you see above is the product of my efforts. Please take note of the eye on Constantine on the obverse and then look at the eyes of the horses on the reverse. Amazing detail. I think it is at least a VF++ by my standards. Please let me know what you think. God Bless.. Jerry..

Zap And Leave Patina Intact

I found a small group of coins and decided to illustrate how I leave the patina intact while zapping. The coins you see in the photo above left were pretty crusty. I wanted to see how much patina I could leave using electrolysis and my bamboo stick. The picture indicates the degree of success. Please feel free to ask questions and I would like feedback. If you want to learn my zapping techniques please join us at the following URL: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/coinzappers You have a standing invitation from me. Thanks you and God Bless.. Jerry..

Answer To A Reader's Request

Woody, a great friend and reader, wants to see the pendant on a dark red background. How can I say no to a request from such a wonderful person! You see the results above right. I will let Woody and readers tell me what you think. As they say, I will keep opinion to myself until I hear from you guys. Please share your opinion with Woody and with me. God Bless.. Jerry..

Pendant Photo Revisited

I decided I should photograph the pendant I made with a "better" background. If you look at the earlier presentation you will see I used a dark hue of green as the negative space. I think you will see how much better this photograph is with the light blue. The lighter value of blue provides much better contrast than the darker green.

Another upside to using the blue is that it complements the warm bronze color. I use the word "complement" from my artist's vocab, and in this presentation it means to "complete" the design in an effective way. Please drop down to the earlier pendant post and take a look at the same pendant on dark green and you will see how much better the light blue works. Let me know what you think please. God Bless.. Jerry..