This book helps me be better at my job, win cases, make more money...money that I can use to buy coins. And nothing says fun like 2400 pages of rules, statutes, procedural guidelines, instructions, and case law. I think it is the best book ever made, but what do I know, I'm just an ambulance chaser. Did I mention the best part yet? It has 2 other volumes with an additional 5000 pages of rules, guidelines, and procedures. And my favorite coin: It's nothing special to most of you, but man, I just love Caracalla. I think he was one awesome dude!
I have two for the list. First, two recent finds: Garrucci's book on ancient Italian coins (esp early cast bronze) and a Ramo Secco, Currency Bar.
I enjoy detective fiction. I especially like books where the detective is Roman. Ruth Downie has a series like that. Spoiler alert, this book mentions fourees. A plated RR denarius.
The Lord of the Rings is the one that everyone knows, but for me, Tolkien put his most epic tales in The Silmarillion. It's the book that I keep coming back to, at any rate. Coin of the moment:
You really need to! Tolkien builds Middle-Earth from scratch and goes on to give us some really incredible myth-making... Beren and Luthien, Fingolfin, the epic tragedy that is the Oath of Feanor. Oh, and Sauron gets to do a whole lot more than just be a flaming eye.
Sorry, but I couldn't help but toss-in a couple more of my favourite books (well, besides Dracula) View attachment 508653 Yup, a couple of sweet 1st Editions => super cool, eh?
For light reading I can recommend the series of books by Lindsey Davis. Marcus Didius Falco is a private investigator who works for Vespasian. Enjoyable to say the least.
Stratoniceia, Caria. AR Hemidrachm. Hekate/NikeObv: ANTIOXOC, Laureate head of Hekate right, crescent above. Rev: STPA around Nike advancing right; all in incuse square. Antiochos, magistrate. 14mm., 1.5g. Rusopulos n. 3924 Tf. XLIV
I'm not into detective fiction as a genre, but I've been a fan of Kinky Friedman (the one and only "Texas Jewish Cowboy" country singer/writer/detective) for over twenty years now. My first and favorite novel of his: It was a challenge finding a coin from my collection to match the book. I failed and will be compromising with three instead. Elvis... Jesus... and Coca-Cola(lexandria Troas) ...
Yeah, Vonnegut! I actually just bought Cat's Cradle the last time I was at an airport, I've read it before but there was nothing else I wanted.
Favorite coin... that's a hard one. This one, since I bought it, has always been a Top 5. No other coin has stayed, so I'll say this one: Johann III (1511-1521) Schilling, Jülich-Berg, 1512 OBV: St. Hubertus over arms IOHS·DVX·IVLIC·Z·MON' REV: floral cross with 4 arms +MONETA·NOVA·RENEN·1512 Favorite book... this one: La Nouvelle Héloise, Vol. 2 by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, printed in 1764. This book, printed in 4 volumes, created such an uproar, and was in such demand when it was first printed in 1761, that libraries rented it by the hour. Sadly, I don't have all 4 volumes, nor is mine first edition. Mine is 2nd edition, and I only have Volume 2. I still love this book.
I've been told that there are several coins featuring the Owl of Wisdom, symbolizing Athena's wisdom. Does anyone know if there are more than 20 designs?
Probably, variations in the first old type, struck in 480 BC , variations in the second type struck around 445 BC type A smile - type B neutral - type C rather sad, the New style 200 BC - 2 variations at least , picture is of a New Style late type 91 BC.