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Veteran international commercial photographer Jeremy Mason McGraw, a newcomer to numismatics, spent the quiet days of 2020 working on Halumin H-18, a patented lighting system designed specifically for food and small objects that makes pro-level results effortless.
Halumin H-18 caught the eye of a few coin collectors, and in mid-2025 work began on Halumin-C, a device purpose-built for coins. Jeremy started by going to a local coin show and asked dealers if they took photos and videos of coins and what their pain points were. He built a prototype and dove into market research. He and his wife, Suraya, tediously hand-built and sold 100 units, collecting a lot of feedback along the way. It was during this time he learned about slabs, toned coins, cartwheel luster, and other key factors he used to refine Halumin-C.
Halumin-C works with the camera or phone you already have and uses intuitive manual controls to adjust the light. The controls are labeled so settings can be recorded and repeated. Most importantly, Halumin-C uses light to define detail — so the images captured are real, not AI-generated replicas.
Why does this matter? AI images are not actual images of your subject. They are composites of thousands of images used to create what the AI thinks your image should look like. So, while the output may look nice– it’s not an image of the real thing. Since the very beginning of coins… authenticity is critical.
Why this matters now more than ever
While still deeply rooted in its physical origins, the coin market has seen explosive growth in the use of digital platforms and sales. Buyers and sellers alike need to be able to trust that the images – just like the coins– are genuine and true. And AI replica photos are no more genuine than replica coins.
Further in an industry that is seeing explosive growth, high-quality images and video can make the difference between sale and missed opportunities:
High-resolution product photos deliver up to a 94% higher conversion rate than low-quality images and professional photography alone boosts conversions by 33–40%.
Product pages with short videos see conversion lifts as high as 86–94% — and 67% of online buyers say crisp, high-definition images convince them to purchase more than written descriptions alone.
Live-selling platforms have exploded: Whatnot powered more than $8 billion in GMV in 2025 — more than doubling the prior year — with coins and bullion among the strongest categories.
eBay’s collectibles segment (including coins) drove significant double-digit GMV growth in Q1 2026, while eBay Live events routinely move millions in U.S. and world coins.
At the same time, fraud remains rampant on online marketplaces. Clear, accurately lit photos and videos don’t just help you buy and sell, they help document condition, distinguishing characteristics and provenance for cataloguing and insurance claims.What started as one photographer’s personal challenge to create a solution for coins has become the practical tool that bridges traditional numismatic appreciation with today’s digital reality. Halumin-C makes professional-grade coin and small object photography (watches, diecast cars) and video dramatically easier, more consistent, and more true to life.
Only 100 of the Halumin-C hand made beta units were made available to early adopters, and now Halumin-C is ready for production. Pepetools- a trusted leader in jewelry tool manufacturing for more than 40 years is partnering with Halumin to build the device. And Halumin is raising money on Kickstarter to fund tooling and its inaugural production run.
