I have found one of the most important things to do when photographing any Artefacts or objects, is to use a scale, there are several methods of measuring the size [- scale -] of
the items, from using a wooden or Perspex ruler, a piece of paper with an accurate measurement could also be used, maybe even a coin for comparison, when an item is photographed, often for size comparison it is sometimes best to show how big the item is by holding it in your hand to gauge its real size…
But to be more precise try using something dedicated to providing a scale for the viewer to gauge the true size of the object that has been photographed,
Instead of using the crime scene version which seems to be the most popular, i chose to go with a full A4 Photography 
Scale, which is sold by a company called Wizthings, which operates on Amazon, & what a brilliant piece of kit it has turned out to be, this photography scale provides a fast, easy & reliable way of recording the image & dimensions of many small or large objects, you can accurately record your collections consistently with professional results, the scale itself has a fine precision printed grid background, which provides a good advantage over other types of scales, any amount of objects can be placed on the grid lines, which provides the viewer with a clearer image instantly, providing greater precision on determining the size of the artefact placed on the scale, so at a glance when a subject that has a complex shape the information is there provided by the grid line, whereas using the crime scene “right angle” you only get an overall size of the object…
Wizthings make a few different sizes of board, prices start from about twelve pounds to twenty-two pounds plus delivery, their biggest photographic Scale is about A4 size, & this is the one i use, they are made with a durable surface which is also supposed to be anti-glare on an aluminium base, & are very easy to carry around with an actual size of 200 x 300, whilst using mine i have noticed that you need side & or low-level lighting, & not overhead lighting, and disable the flash otherwise you might get a white spot on the board… Apart from the obvious shadows, cast by using the overhead lighting, also when using overhead lighting your photos sometimes turn out yellowish photo, which does not reproduce the object in its true form, to prevent this it is best to use daylight bulbs, these are the best ones to reduce the yellow effect or failing that go for some LED’s and light the area with these, these LED’s are cost-effective & can be purchased from the bay of thieves… as can be seen, pictured below anybody viewing the photos can see this spoon, barrel key & broken barrel tap filter end in detail and its size…
if you go ahead & make your own lightbox, out of cardboard & paper, and shine your lights through the side of transparent white paper as a cost-effective method of buying a light box, you can achieve some pretty good results…
So, what about when you are in the field and want to scale an object, or need a flat surface, these credit card-size scales are ideal to carry with you in your field wallet, they are made from a thin sheet of aluminium, with the typical crime scene stick version, on the left, many people sell these as a promotional item for there goods or product, i got mine from purchasing the Artefact Journal and Field Diary, at the moment N SOTAB are given away the last few of the ones they had printed for the Artefact Journal and Field Diary free when you purchase the book, the book allows you to keep a record of your finds and movement, which i find important…
Northeast Detectorist 