Find the gaps in this Sun Yat-sen dollar
Read the coin before the label. Enter the Sun portrait, commemorative wording, denticles and pearl circle only where the photographs support them; a similar coin is not a source for a missing character.
Work that can be completed from full views
Make neutral and low-angle photographs of each face, then locate patina, contact marks, worn high points and any bright or wiped area on the complete coin.
Evidence that still needs to stay open
If the full edge, damage angles, instrument or unit is missing, say why. Do not clean the silver or disturb its packaging simply to fill a blank.
Transcribe the coin in a fixed direction
Begin with its working name, readable commemorative text, portrait and reverse design. Add dimensions only when the instrument and this coin can be shown together.
A slab label supplies a printed opinion, not a substitute image. Check the enclosed portrait, legends, wreath and surface wherever the plastic allows.
Collector terminology needs visible support
Retain countermarks, sleeves and family accounts as provenance. They cannot replace examination of the portrait lettering, commemorative text, wreath, metal surface and edge.
Photograph both full faces before enlarging star positions, the portrait, denomination, wreath, denticles or pearl circle. Each crop must remain locatable.
Cite an identifiable publication or issuing source, with the date consulted, for historical statements. Treat online images as comparison leads.
One number for one silver dollar
For a group, first transcribe the visible commemorative wording, date and denomination coin by coin. Keep the portrait side, reverse and circumference under that number.
Separate patina, circulation wear, softly struck detail, wipe marks, unusual brightness, rim knocks and other damage. A dark surface is not an instruction to polish.
Original photographs, new angles, measurements, holders and papers should remain in one record so a star or edge image cannot migrate to another coin.
Let the missing evidence set the next step
Sort several Sun portrait dollars by the complete designs and visible star arrangement only after numbering them. Record each circumference and measurement independently.
Images can establish obvious designs and damage; hidden metal, very fine repair and covered edge sections may still call for direct inspection.
A practical review of portrait, wording and wreath
First secure the Sun portrait, commemorative legends, denticles and pearl circle exactly as seen. Record a blurred or covered area as unreadable rather than completing its text from memory.
Place complete and raking-light views in the image field. Put the date, denomination, portrait-side wording and commemorative reverse in identification, all under the same coin number.
If a document and the object disagree, preserve both transcriptions with their dates. The unresolved type, period or material remains a question for later examination.
A useful handover lets the next reviewer find this dollar and repeat every observation. State any restriction instead of promising a complete attribution.
Before consultation, leave the coin unwashed and unopened. Add the visible star positions, continuous edge record and existing documentation.
