200 Ancient Coins You Should Know: a book that should exist

Yes, definitely. Or a trite/hekte/hemihekte/etc. In my eyes, as long as it represents the history, it should be included.

And, similarly a denarius of Elagabalus depicting the Emesa stone would be just as valid as an aureus. Perhaps we should show an image of both (and some of the related varieties) to illustrate the full type.

 

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Some unorganized thoughts about this potential book:

1. There should be general price indicators for each coin, possibly illustrated as in the following scale:

$$$ -- Very expensive
$$ -- Moderately expensive
$ -- Attainably expensive
¢ -- Available on a budget

You could also include a range of symbols (e.g., $ - $$$) for those coins (such as owls) whose price can vary wildly.

2. As AncientJoe suggests, I agree that for any coin that is available in different metals, all metals should be shown, such as the aureus version of the Tribute Penny denarius or the Claudius IMPER RECEPT aureus/denarius.

3. The book should contain an introduction chapter that includes:

- what the definition of an ancient coin is (hand struck? before a certain date?)
- the criteria for selecting coins that appear in the book (this will be fun...)
- why ancient coins are so different from machine-struck coins (cleaning, handling, fragility, condition issues such as centering and evenness of strike, etc.)
- introduction to condition/grades? (I'm not so sure about this topic)
- sources for acquiring ancient coins, including metal-detecting in the UK
- ancient and modern forgeries
- suggestions?

Overall, it's important to differentiate such a book from Berk's 100 Greatest Ancient Coins. I still love this latter book but 200 Ancient Coins You Should Know needs to be broader and geared a bit more toward the novice collector.

 

I like this idea better than stating prices or ranges.

 

For coins of historical significance perhaps @AncientJoe would allow you to use one of his Pompeii coins. Personally I find it incredibly exciting to see such an ancient object and know exactly where it was on a certain date in history.

 

That's a beautiful collection of ancient Asian artifacts, @TypeCoin971793 ! This forum is Blessed to have you as a member!

 

I think it should also include a good bibliography. I’d be happy to help in that regard. It could also include major firms past and present, important digital resources, as well as important collections.

 

By the way @TIF - if you are considering making this an actual book, I would be happy to help. I’d love to see it continue as a series and have one on Medieval coins

 

To me, Indian and Chinese coinage are in a different area. Books on ancient coins and sale catalogs demonstate that scholars and (most) collectors have for a hundred years decided they do not belong with Greek and Roman coins. I would exclude them from the book.

On the other hand, most sales with ancients have Byzantine coins, which I consider belong to the (western) ancient world. Everyone should know about the reform "M" coins of Anastasius, the huge reform facing bust coins of Justinian, and "anonymous bronze" with the bust of Christ but no emperor's name. I do not intend to make a list (which would certainly include a solidus) of Byzantine coins here, but I note that Byzantine coins are regularly treated alongside ancient coins, even though some coins of earlier dates (say some "medieval" Anglo-Saxon silver) are not.

If one starts with a number of coins, say 200, then it becomes a question of proportions between various areas (early Greek, Hellenic, Parthian, Sasanian, Jewish, British, Gallic, Roman Republican, 12 Caesars, later Roman, late Roman, Byzantine, etc.

"Should" every collector know that coins were minted in Gaul, Britain, and the Channel Isles before Caesar? If so, this type is one of the most common because of several large hoards having been discovered:



24-21 mm.
Amorican -- Channel Isles, often dated to 75-50 BC. Coriosolatae tribe (which was located on the coast of France and the channel isles opposite central-south Britain).
Minted by Viridovix of the Unelli during the early months of 56 BC, according to John Hooker. These are associated with the famous Gallic Wars of Julius Caesar.

De la Tour 6598. Similar to Sear Greek 110 "Channel Isles"