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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;dougsmit, post: 3004190, member: 19463&quot;]<a href="https://images.vcoins.com/product_image/44/F/6/FWx8oH336CKnw9FQRt48z5EPZ4k72A.jpg" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://images.vcoins.com/product_image/44/F/6/FWx8oH336CKnw9FQRt48z5EPZ4k72A.jpg" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://images.vcoins.com/product_image/44/F/6/FWx8oH336CKnw9FQRt48z5EPZ4k72A.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></a></p><p><a href="https://images.vcoins.com/product_image/44/F/6/FWx8oH336CKnw9FQRt48z5EPZ4k72A.jpg" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://images.vcoins.com/product_image/44/F/6/FWx8oH336CKnw9FQRt48z5EPZ4k72A.jpg" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://www.vcoins.com/images/zoom.png" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></a>Vesta Curtis, M. Askari, Elizabeth Pendleton, Richard Hodges, and Ali-Akbar Safi: <b>Sasanian Coins in the National Museum of Iran.</b> Volume I. Ardashir I - Hormizd IV, London, 2010, Royal NUmismatic Society Publication 47, 102 plates with facing text (sylloge format), A4, red cloth, dust jacket. New.Volume 2. Khusrau II - Yazdgard III, London, 2012, Royal Numismatic Society Publication, plates 103-352 plates with facing text (sylloge format), A4, red cloth, dust jacket. New.</p><p><br /></p><p>352 plates in two volumes should make a great resource for the collector of Sasanian coins, right?&nbsp; I wish I could recommend the books but I simply can&#039;t.&nbsp; The photos vary from OK to Oh,well but, in many cases it would have been hard to do more with the terrible coin (or part of a coin) shown.&nbsp; The information is presented in a sterile sylloge style with no information beyond what fits in the almost coded listings (not even a space between coins!) and a very short introduction that was most noteworthy to me for pointing out that the listings omitted the sizable holdings of the museum in confiscated coins and a handful of coins too far gone to identify.&nbsp; The book is intended for the student of Sasanian coins and not as a guide for collectors.&nbsp; It does show a much larger number of smaller denominations than I was aware existed but has weaknesses (I&#039;m having trouble believing they only have seven coins of Bahram II).&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>The two volumes split between Hormizd IV who finishes the 102 plates in the first book and Khusrau II who makes up all but twenty of the 249 plates in volume two.&nbsp; I was not the target market for these books but I do hope to learn enough elsewhere to be able to appreciate what is contained in them.&nbsp; I am not saying these books are bad but just that they are a bad fit for a collector/student of my level.&nbsp; This is a resource, not a textbook.&nbsp; You shouldn&#039;t blame a sylloge for being a sylloge.&nbsp; I would be better off reading the 8000 entries presented on acsearch if you search Sasanian. </p><p><br /></p><p>Beginners like me often have trouble reading the mint marks on coins of this series.&nbsp; The 15 plates of unknown or missing mint coins of Khusrau II make me feel a little better about it.&nbsp; Even the experts in the museum have trouble reading some of these coins.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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