The finest ancient-coin sale catalogs produced include Triton catalogs (from CNG) and NAC (Numismatica Ars Classica, in Switzerland). NAC has the edge because they often sell large major collections of spectacular coins. If you collect a theme and they have a sale emphasizing that theme, you will greatly enjoy the catalog. I love my catalogs and consult them regularly. Here are some I have for sale. They are very inexpensive compared to a coin and they will increase your enjoyment of collecting. The major emphases are in bold. The pictures are in color and often enlarged in color and the descriptions extensive. They could serve as coffee-table books! They are on my book and auction-catalog sale site: http://augustuscoins.com/numislit.html where you can find many good books and other catalogs. Shipping is in the US only. One is the BCD, Lokris - Phokis" Hardcover catalog. All include PR. 29 (May 11, 2005) HV, VHQP. 748 ancients, all in color and almost all with color enlargements throughout. 243 G, 186 RR, 245 RI, 73 Byz. This is top quality for everything! Maybe I can single out the Republican collection (including a nice EID Mar denarius) as outstanding, but so is the rest. [$12] 31 (2005, Oct. 26) "An Important Collection of Roman Gold Coins. Property of an American Collector" 176 spectacular Roman gold coins, all in color and all enlarged in color. 10 R, 25 from the 12 Caesars, 32 second C through Pertinax, 50 from Severans to before the tetrarchy, 40 tetrarchy through family of Constantine (including medallions), 19 later Roman. [$12] Roman gold coins (176) many of the highest desirability 33 (2006, April 5) VHV. VHQP. 696 ancients, all in color and enlarged in color. 184 G, 208 RR, 247 RI, 49 Byz AV, 6 DA. Totally gorgeous expensive coins! 25 with 6-digit PRs! (and many other very-high-value coins. [$9] Roman Republican (208) 34 (2006, Nov. 21) "An Important Collection of Roman Gold Coins" VHV. VHQP. 255 Roman gold coins, including a Brutus portrait piece, Pescennius Niger, and many other spectacular coins. It goes chronologically throught the emperors twice, as part I and part II: 6+2 Republican, 10+26 twelve Caesars, 21+24 second C through Pescennius Niger, 36+23 Severans to the tetrarchy, 21+15 tetrarchy through family of Constantine, 28+12 later Roman. Roman gold (255) many of the highest desirability 39 (2007, May 16) "The Barry Feirstein Collection of Ancient Coins, Part I". VHV. VHQP. 204 ancients. 84 G, 8 RR, 113 RI. [$6] 40 (2007, May 16) VHV, VHQP. 947 ancient coins, all in color and almost all also enlarged in color. 271 G, 35 Jewish (Most not highest quality), 31 Roman imperial with Jewish reference (some of the highest quality), 23 Italian Aes, 265 RR, 291 RI, 26 Byz, 5 DA [$12] Jewish related Roman imperial (31), Italian Aes (23), Roman Republican (265), Roman imperial rarities (265) 41 (2007, Nov. 2) VHQ. VHQP. 146 ancients. 7 G gold, 28 VHQ RR including 12 gold, 109 RI mostly gold. [$6] 42 (2007, Nov. 20) "The Barry Feirstein Collection of Ancient Coins, Part II-III" Part 2: VHV-MV: 146 RI, Severus Alexander and later, many of them gold but a few common RI in super condtion, plus 1 Byz Constantine XI. Part III: HV-MV: 26 RR, 179 RI. [$6] 44 (2007, Nov. 26) MV. VHQP. 125 ancients among 1005. All in color and all also enlarged in color. 115 RR and 10 of Augustus. Unlike most NAC auctions, these ancients are not particularly special. [$4] 45 (2008, April 2) "The Barry Feirstein Collection of Ancient Coins, Part IV". VHV. VHQP. 147 ancients. 59 RR (including an EID MAR in gold) and 88 RI up to Macrinus. [$6] 46 (2008, April 2) HV. VHQP. 1059 ancients. All in color and most enlarged in color. The coins are grouped in two parts. The first part has all enlarged and, on average, high to very high quality coins. The second part none enlarged with HV coins. 163+126 G, 12 Italian aes, 138+62 RR, 289+231 RI, 4+25 Byz, 4 DA. This auction has many spectacular coins of the highest desirability. [Massive catalog. $12] 48 (2008, Oct. 21) "A remarkable selection of Greek silver" VHV. VHQP. 111 ancient Greek coins, all in color and all with at least one side enlarged. [$7] Greek (111) many of highest desirability 49 (2008, Oct. 21) "An interesting selection of Roman gold coins from the B. d. B. collection" VHV. VHQP. 422 Roman gold coins including 4 RR. All illustrated in color and most also x2, throughout. [$12] Roman gold (422) 51 (2009, March 5) 1127 ancient coins. VHV. VHQP. "Featuring the William James Conte collection of Roman sestertii and bronze and silver medallions, part I." 132 RR, 329 RI including 45 of the very highest quality Roman sestertii, 14 Byz, 2 DA gold, 203 G, 119 RR, 308 RI, 20 Byz, 2 DA gold (there are two separate sections with Roman coins) This includes the 460,000+16.5% Swiss frank Caligula sestertius which I think is the best extant sestertius (better than the $2,000,000 Hadrian). [$12] sestertii (45+ others) (2009, no specific date) VHV. VHQP. "The William James Conte Collection" of highest-quality sestertii. This looks like the other NAC catalogs, but is not a sale. It is a slim volume publishing just the 46 sestertii and medallions from this collection in one place, with one coin or medallion per page. These are ancient coins of the very highest quality, wonderfully photographed and described. The NAC sale in which they were sold is given (NAC 51 and Fall 2009). [$9] 52 (2009, Oct. 7) 1208 ancients. "Featuring the William James Conte Collection of Roman sesertii and bronze and silver medallions pat II" (which are only a small fraction of this thick catalog). Many Roman gold coins. 200 G, 101 RR, 369 RI, 45 Byz, 4 DA, (same catalog, part II, lower quality and less space per coin): 74 G, 115 RR, 296 RI, 4 Byz [$12] 54 (2010, March 24) VHV. VHQP. 1350 ancients in two groups, the first 666 of the highest quality and the rest just very nice. Group 1: 145 G, 142 RR, 379 RI, 1 DA. Group 2: 1 Celtic, 226 G, 95 RR, 350 RI, 4 contorniates, 5 Byz gold, 2 DA. [$12] (2010, no specific date) VHV. VHQP. "The Luc Girard Collection of Roman sesertii" A selection of splendid sesterii sold in Sale 54 on 39 pages, with two or three per page. This looks like the other NAC catalogs, but is not a sale. It is a slim volume publishing 82 sestertii from this collection in one place, citing the lot number from sale 54. These are ancient coins of the very highest quality, wonderfully photographed and described. [$9] 55 (2010, Oct. 8) "The BCD Collection, Lokris - Phokis" Hardcover. Superb reference work, written by BCD himself, with very extensive commentary and extremely thorough coverage of this narrow area of Greek coinage. The definitive work. 475 lots, many with multiple coins. Many lots have the finest known of the silver type, or are some copper rarity, or have something else special to recommend them. BCD was as complete with respect to copper as he was with respect to silver. Magnificent, not for end-to-end highly valuable coins (although some are), but for its value as a scholarly reference work. [$45] Greek Lokris and Phokis (475) 56 (2010, Oct. 8) HV. HQP. 404 ancients and 142 early medieval, all in color and most enlarged. 44 late Roman gold, 51 DA, 290 Byz (some E and AR), 13 crusader, 22 Bulgarian, 122 early medieval, 3 Turkoman, 2 Huns, 4 Axum [$12] Late Roman gold, Germanic migrations Dark Ages, Byzantine, and early medieval 59 (2011, April 4-5) 1697 Ancients (a massive catalog) in one volume in two parts, the first VHV and VHQP and the second MV and MQP. 1 Celtic, 184 G, 11 Italian cast, 189 RR, 339 RI, 58 Byz almost all gold, 2 DA. HQP: 12 Philistian, 16 Samarian, 155 Jewish-Holy Land, 38 RR brockages. 40 RI brockages, Part II: 2 Italian cast, 196 G, 94 RR, 339 RI, 21 Byz. Philistian (12), Samarian (16), Brockages (38 RR and 40 RI), 155 Jewish and Holy Land 61 (2011, Oct. 5-6) HV. HQP. 1220 Roman Republican, "The RBW Collection of Roman Republican Coins, Part I." 1220 RR, many AE. Very high quality and many rarities, including 14 Italian of the Social War. Spectacular! Roman Republican (1220), Italian of the Social War (14) 62 (2011, Oct. 6) "The S. C. Markoff Collection of Roman Coins" 133 Roman coins. VHV. VHQP. 13 RR including EID MAR and Labienus, 120 RI as a run of wonderful portrait pieces, one coin of the very highest quality of each of the emperors, including the rarities and some medallions. Some of each metal. 63 (2012, May 17) 608 Roman Republican, "The RBW Collection of Roman Republican Coins, Part II."608 RR, very high quality and many rarities. [$15] Roman Republican (608) 64 (2012, May 17-18) 2233 ancients. HV and VHV. A very thick catalog with two sections of Greek through Roman coins, listed individually here. 252 G, "J. N. collection of Roman Republican coins" including 71 RR cast AE and 62 RR, 380 RI, 4 DA, 19 Byz, "Paulo Leito collection of coins of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain)" 56, ("A collection of coins of the Levant and Jewish coins" including Philistia 87, Samaria 77, fractional AR of Judah 75, Jewish 100, Nabatean silver 6, Holy Land city coins 111), 290 G, 80 RR, 428 RI, 65 Byz. [$14] "A collection of coins of the Levant and Jewish coins" including Philistia 87, Samaria 77, fractional AR of Judah 75, Jewish 100, Nabatean silver 6, Holy Land city coins 111, Roman Republican cast AE 66 (2012, Oct. 17) "An Important Series of Greek Coins" Hardcover. VHV. VHQP. 84 Greek coins formerly in the Nelson Bunker Hunt Collection. [$9] 67 (2012, Oct.. 17) "The Archer M. Huntingon Collection of Roman Gold Coins, Part I" (These are coins formerly housed with the ANS in New York) Hardcover. VHV. VHQP. 327 Roman gold coins. 6 RR, 152 IR, and 3 DA of very high quality, followed by 1 RR, 149 RI, 17 Byz. [$12] Roman gold (327) 74 (2013, Nov. 18, joint with TradArt) VHV. VHQP (in TradArt large format, as opposed to the usual NAC cream-color catalog). "The JDL Collection." 45 extremely high value ancient coins, each on two pages. 20 G, 2RR, 22 RI, 1 Celtic gold. [$9] 91 (2016, May 23) VHV. VHQP. "The George W. La Borde Collection of Roman Aurei--Part I" 68 Roman gold coins. [$9] Roman gold (68) 92 (2016, May 23-24) in two parts. Part I VHV. VHQP. 1086 ancients. 173 G, 210 RR (including an excellent EID MAR piece), 442 RI (including 36 Julian II and 15 Festival of Isis and many of the latest emperors in gold), 11 DA, 182 By (all gold except for late silver) [$10 part I only] Roman Republican (210), Festival of Isis and Julian (51), 5th century emperors in gold (c. 50) Part II: HV. HQP. "Featuring the collection of E. E. Clain-Stefanelli" 1251 ancients. 7 Celtic, 158 G, 470 RR "An interesting collection of Roman Republican coins formed by an Engish amateur scholar", 572 RI, 5 DA, 60 Byz Roman Republican (470 SOLD) Here are two imporant, but not ancient-coin, catalogs: [14 is a huge and spectacular collection of coins of the Popes and Italian and Spanish mints -- not ancients. $15] [16 is not ancients, rather Italian, Spanish, huge 128 B&W plates plus XXX color plates! $15] Take a look at my site for more literature and for ancient coins. http://augustuscoins.com/index.html
