Best "First Book" to Purchase on Ancients

I don't collect ancient coins, but I would like to become more educated. Are there any one volume books that can give me a decent overview on Greek and Roman ancients?

Thanks in advance.

 

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Welcome, Bill S!

One volume intro book? I'd get Wayne Sayles' "Ancient Coin Collecting", vol. 1



There are other volumes in the series and you can get hardback or paperback.

His website

 

I will second that suggestion! No matter what types of ancient coins you may be interested in this is the a great beginner book. You can also buy it from his Vcoins store and he'll autograph it.

 

I like Sayles but warn that you will want the whole set so buying volume one is a trap. When you finish volume one you might need to decide if yo are going to collect generally or specialize and whether you want one $1000 coin, ten $100 coins or 100 $10 coins next. That may help pick your next books.

I suggest you avoid books with catalog numbers and values that exceed paragraphs of text explaining the coins.

 

Covers Greek and Roman. A good intro that takes it's subject in small, easy to remember chunks and a classic.

 

I also really enjoyed reading "Collecting Greek Coins" by John Anthony.

Both books are very inexpensive & good IMHO.

 

I really have no interest in expanding my collection to ancients right now but I am interesting in reading about them. These two books look like a good starting point.

Does anyone know of a comparable book for medieval coins?

 

i use internet and topics/ i have brought some great books i dont use it

 

Coinage in the Roman World by Andrew Burnett is packed with information from one the world's top scholars (and, former Curator of the British Museum collection). In summary form, it incorporates all of the most recent scholarship on Roman coinage from its beginnings to the end of the empire. It has chapters on mint authority, monetary history, designs and propaganda, circulation and function, inflation, the coming of Christianity, and the transition to medieval coinage. It is only 168 pages plus plates of 187 coins, but a super book. This would be my top recommendation.

Collecting Greek Coins by John Anthony is a well-illustrated and inexpensive introduction. It is not a price guide, and not quite a "how to collect" book either, but it discusses the coins of the most prominent city-states (Athens, Corinth, Syracuse, etc.), the Hellenistic Kingdoms, the East, and has a chapter on thematic collecting. I recommend it.

An Outline of Ancient Greek Coins by Zander Klawans is a 1982 book with lots of information, but not as expository as the Anthony book. It really is more of an "outline" with one coin of each of many cities illustrated and about 35 pages of basic introduction. This is a very basic book. I recommend it.

Coinage in the Greek World, by Ian Carradice and Martin Price (1998), is an excellent work, very well suited to beginners and advanced collectors alike. Written by two top scholars, it is completely authoritative. Nevertheless, it is completely user-friendly. It is not a "How to collect" guide, but a chronologically organized well-illustrated discussion of ancient Greek coins. This is an outstandingly good book. If you are thinking of collecting Greek coins, buy this book. It is easy to start with, but, no matter how far you advance, you will never outgrow it.

 

I would highly rate ERIC-II for coinages of Imperial Rome/Western/Eastern Roman Empires/ Byzantine Empire

 

Not entirely sure about Roman coins, but i have enjoyed reading Ancient Greek Coins by GK Jenkins. The book was last printed several years ago, but near mint copies can be had on Amazon for decent prices. This is a good general overview book on ancient Greek coinage. It offers insights into minting techniques, and has write ups about individual city states and regions and their coinage with photos of many of the coins.

 

Yes, that is a very good book, with many enlarged photographs and lots of information. It comes in two editions, a thick first one and a thinner second one. I have both and could not figure out why they deleted so much and removed so many great pictures from the first edition to make the second much less pleasing. Instead of 695 photos and 310 pages in the first (The World of Numismatics, 1972), the second (Seaby, 1990) has 439 photos and 182 pages.

This is the only book I recall that is worse in the second edition than the first. Buy the World of Numismatics edition.

 

I have ended up with an extra copy of the First Edition of the Wayne G. Sayles book "Ancient Coin Collecting" Vol 1. It does not have a dustjacket, but it is FREE to anyone who would like to read it. Just send me a PM.

EDIT: THE BOOK HAS NOW FOUND A HAPPY HOME!

 

I also recommend the World of Numismatics books on Roman Coins by Sutherland and Byzantine Coins by Whiting. No catalog numbers; no prices; many photos and plenty of information.
https://www.amazon.com/Roman-coins-...688663&sr=8-1&keywords=roman+coins+sutherland

https://www.amazon.com/Byzantine-co...id=1493689072&sr=8-2&keywords=byzantine+coins

https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-lis...?ie=UTF8&condition=used&qid=1493689141&sr=8-3

The three for ~$80 used is a deal and will keep you busy for a long time. Listen to Valentinian about buying the older and larger Jenkins! Many of these books are ex library and can be even cheaper if found in your local used book store. My Greek volume is well read but intact. New ones will cost more but not read any better.

 

that was nice of you big A.

 

Sayles was my first book; I enjoyed it and bought 2 more volumes.

 

Probably this: http://www.archaeopress.com/Public/...asp?id={630D98AF-05CE-4C17-B530-6CD7DF4DA048}

Just kidding. The Klawans book is a perfect starter in my opinion.

 

That book goes to show how much there is to know about ancient coins, and, when you realize how much remains unknown, how deep and fascinating our subject really is.

 

i don't have his autograph, but i DO have his wife's

 

I have that letter too!