I have been perusing threads mentioning books, inspired by @kaparthy's article and the general consensus that books are a must-have. I have taken away that no one book contains all the knowledge necessary--several are needed for solid understanding on specialized topics and infinitely more are needed for complete understanding (one never stops learning and new knowledge is always being created) However, based on my coin-collecting interests and knowledge I am interested in, what books (and editions/volumes, specifically) would you recommend in the following areas. I know this is a lot and appreciate all of your recommendations! So many aspects of coins are interesting, I can't resist! US Coins General knowledge on U.S. coinage (history, etc) General knowledge about minting processes (primarily U.S. but other is fine too) General knowledge about errors of varieties of U.S. coins. Everything Lincoln cents, including errors and varieties French Coins General knowledge about French coinage (history, etc) French coinage during the transition from revolution to first French empire (revolution) French coinage during the World Wars French coinage in African colonies, particularly Algeria (one of my French great grandparents was stationed in Algeria during WWI) Science The Chemistry of coins (oxidation processes, metals, reactions, etc)
On the general history of U. S. coins, I recently read Neil Carothers _Fractional Money_ and felt I’d learned more from it than from my last several numismatic books put together. It was published in 1930 and I don’t know what its reputation is among historians today. There are reasonably-priced copies of a paperback reprint available on Amazon.
From Mine to Mint by Roger Burdette is a must-have for anyone who wants to delve into the history and development of the U.S. Mint. https://www.wizardcoinsupply.com/from-mine-to-mint.html Chris
I'm in the first third of the book. Lot's of interesting facts about the mints. I do find it to be repetitive so far. I plan to finish the book, but it's not an easy read.
Roger is very thorough. What you find repetitive is because certain processes and procedures may or may not be followed at each location. Chris
"History of the US Mint and its coinage". Was such a good book I'm thinking about reading it again. Been recommending it for years.
Understand. I also think the repetition helps "drill" into my memory the content. I need to pick the book back up while the weather is bad.
A Guide Book of The United States Mint: Colonial, State, Private, Territorial, and Federal Coining Facilitiesby Q. David Bowers; Foreword by Ken Bressett; Whitman Publishing, 2016. 436 pages. $24.95. Reviewed by Michael E. Marotta (MSNS 7935) Told in Dave Bowers’ inimitable conversational style, replete with stories of both famous and obscure people, this book will give the passionate pursuer of historical American coinage many hours of pleasurable, rewarding reading. Those cold metal objects will acquire new meaning as you explore their creation, production, and passing. It has been 50 years since the publication of Don Taxay’s landmark research, The U.S. Mint and Coinage: An Illustrated History From 1776 to the Present. The new Bowers history will be our standard for the next fifty, at least, and perhaps into the 22ndcentury. If you want to know the history of US federal coins, then you need one of the references on patterns. The book by Andrew Pollock is perhaps the one best liked by aficianados of patterns. These are the coins that never were, but which, in fact, are the first models of the coins we know. The Pollack book is more expensive. The more recent and more affordable Bowers book is an update of a classic by Hewitt Judd.
I agree that Carothers is important though from the viewpoint of theoretical numismatics. He does offer good history.
French coins. This can be problematic unless you can read French. The Gadoury books are where I'd start. They are the Red Book of French coins. But because they have been around a whole lot longer than US coins, there is more than one volume needed. Another would be the Ciani book, and the Duplessy books, the Roberts book (in English by the way) and the Mayhew book. Mayhew's book covers the Gross Tournois, and parts of it are written in English, parts in French. But it's a very comprehensive book and covers a whole lot of the history, something that very few numismatic books do as most of them are little more than catalogs. Another that covers a great deal of the history would be Grierson's book Coins Of Medieval Europe, but as the title suggests it covers all of Europe not just France. Nonetheless if it's history you're after you'll find it there. It is also in English. But it may not be the time period you are most interested in. I would say that many if not most of the good books covering coins of other countries are written in other languages. To me this would be expected as authors often write about the coins of their own countries, and they usually know more than authors from other countries. It's not always the case of course but it is far more common than not. Over the years I had to teach myself how to read at least the numismatic terminology in French, Dutch, Spanish and to a lesser degree German - if I wanted to study the coins I was interested in the most. I considered the effort part of the price one pays for knowledge. And if ya ever find an interest in the coins of the Low Countries, the Netherlands, then come talk me and we'll have something to talk about
Thank you for your recommendations, I will look into them! I am actually bilingual, speaking French at home and English everywhere else, so French should not be a problem. My parents and extended family are all from France, so I am a first generation American. In collecting French coins, I seek to gain deeper understanding into my French heritage, an interest boosted further by the fact that two of my French grandparents are retired historians and are giving me their coin collections. That's some dedication right there! The multitude of knowledge you gain--cultural, linguistic, historical, artistic,etc--from studying the numismatics of a country is in my opinion, what makes it worth the effort.
All I know for French coins is Monnaies féodales de France, Three Volumes by Faustin Poey d'Avant. It is an antique work, long out of print. I bought my set in order to write an article about the coins of Champagne in the context of the Great Fairs. I bought about a dozen coins from various dealers and attributed them myself. Provins Henry I 1152-1180 or Henry II 1180-97 Denier Obv: HENRI COMES cross Pellet, Star, Annulet, Pellet in angles Rev: + CASTRI PRVVINS, comb surmounted by *Vo Poey d'Avant 5975 or Poey d'Avant 5976 (Among others)
For the coinage of the French Colonies, the book you need is "Monnaies et Jetons des Colonies Francaises." It was originally by Lecompte, but recent versions have been published by Gadoury. It is not an inexpensive book (and it is in French), but it is the standard reference for French Colonial coins. There are more probably more specific references focused on your particular area, but I'm not familiar with them (I focus on the French Colonial coinage of Morocco). As for the Science.... there isn't really a great book for what you're looking for. Weimar White compiled an anti-toning anthology that touches on some of what you're asking for, I wrote a book that has a chapter with a sort of counterpoint.... but there is no dedicated book focused on the Chemistry of Coins. ..... but that is a really good idea.....
