Where to Sell a Top-Pop Unattributed 1964 QDO Proof Kennedy Half (FS-105): eBay, GreatCollections, or the Coin Show Bourse Floor?
August 22, 2026The Hidden History Behind the 1938 Proof Walking Liberty Half Dollar: A Depression-Era Cherrypick With Cameo Potential
August 22, 2026
A bad photo can make a $1,000 coin look like a $10 coin. I’ve watched it happen dozens of times over my years behind the lens: a genuinely rare die variety sits on an auction platform in soft, yellowish, out-of-focus snapshots, and nobody pulls the trigger. Then, occasionally, the opposite happens. A listing goes live with images sharp enough that the right people see exactly what’s there — and the bidding war begins. That second scenario played out recently when an unattributed 1964 Kennedy Half Dollar, certified NGC Proof 68 Cameo and carrying the elusive Quadrupled Die Obverse (FS-105), crossed the block at GreatCollections. At least four bidders knew precisely what they were staring at. The coin went for a pretty penny.
As a numismatic photographer, that sale is one of my favorite teaching cases. The gap between a coin that sells for scrap-plus-ten-percent and one that ignites a cherrypicking frenzy usually comes down to five things: axial lighting, disciplined macro technique, honest luster capture, natural color, and knowing your subject before you ever press the shutter. Let me walk you through all five, using this exact coin as our subject.
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