Good Ancients beginners books...

I have dabbled in medieval hammered coins and also own a few shabby Roman coins. Recently, ancients have started to pull me in inexorably. I can't help it. Attending some talks by highly engaging speakers probably didn't help. One problem looms ominously: I lack knowledge of ancients. Nescient. Nil. I feel that I could easily purchase a counterfeit or at least a passable fake and have no idea and enjoy it as though it actually spent time at the Colosseum in its heyday.

A manifestation of the problem: I came across a lovely Septimius Severus at a coin show this last weekend, but I couldn't convince myself to buy it because I feel as though I just don't know enough to plunge. It was affordable, but expensive enough to make me pause.

To bridge this gulf, one of those engaging speakers I mentioned above recommended the Wayne G. Sayles series of books. Looking on Amazon, I see that the series contains 6 volumes and a book called "Classical Deception." They look intriguing.

Would this series launch me off into the world of ancients properly? Or do others have additional or alternative suggestions? Is this the road to confidence? Or at least a few steps down?

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

try looking at these two swell fella's pages before you buy a bunch of books and see if you fancy is tickled.

http://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/

http://esty.ancients.info/


i can feel the dirty looks i'm getting from some of you as you read this...but i'm not a buy the book before the coin type guy. i didn't get a coin book until coin 100 or so!

now my coin library has swollen to three coin books, two were gifts (and i love them!).

i'm a generalist collector, and i just can't see myself buying emmett and spending more on the book than i spent on my 4 or 5 coins i own that i can find in that book.

read online, buy a coin or two (vcoins is a good spot, you can also buy from some of the guys here at cointalk in the selling coins thread). ask questions on the forum, see where it goes from there. if you get hooked, then start buying books. especially if you want to specialize in a certain type of coin.

if you want to get a book, get something very general like this sayles book...


http://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Coin-Collecting-v-I/dp/0873495152/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1464146072&sr=8-2&keywords=sayles ancient coins

here's a good broad beginners guide for greek coins...

http://www.amazon.com/Collecting-Greek-Coins-John-Anthony/dp/0582503108/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1464146497&sr=8-1&keywords=john anthony ancient greek coins


other forum member are going to give you some very different advice...you should probably listen to them.

 

Hi Ewo

Welcome to the hobby of kings and hobos! We're glad you stopped by.

I'm with chrsmat in buying the coin before the book which goes against traditional advice but the Internet has outdated that advice. Everything you need to familiarize yourself with ancients is available online. Everything. Cointalk is ideal for beginners and experienced alike with the most friendly group around so hang here a bit. Ask dumb questions. We do all the time.

Look at coins at Vcoins.com which is a large mall of ancient coin dealers, most honest but all with a refund policy and authenticity guarantee (I think) and look at lots of them. Find something that interests you and look some more and look for various examples of what interests you. Ancients are all hand made and no two are alike. When you find something you like, buy it. Then repeat.

When you get a groove and maybe a focus, then invest in books if that's your thing. I have a large library for Roman Republican silver, but if I bought the books first I'd have a bunch of books on Carthaginian coins which I don't collect today. Make sense?

 

I second the recommendation for the Sayles books. I have two of them and am probably going to get the others. They're easy reads and provide a great general introduction to Greek and Roman coins.

 

I recommend that you ask "before" you pull the trigger ...

=> when you're just learning about ancients, it's very wise to post a coin that has piqued your interested (the gang here are amazingly ethical, and I have not heard of somebody sniping a coin that has been posted)

Sadly, most of us have learned the hard-way => by buying a fake and then having to try and return it for a refund, etc, etc (that really takes the fun out of collecting) ... but again, if you post a potential target and ask the masses for their opinions, then things usually turn-out okay!! (or perhaps PM a member that seems coin-smart and ask for their opinion)

... oh, but please don't post live auction examples (yah, that's just bad form)

ewomack => good luck with your ancient collecting (caution => they are very, very addictive)

 

The Sayles books are great introductory books. Some parts may be a little outdated (I have not looked at the revised editions, but the original first volume has a page on how wonderful the Internet might become, and there is the potential it could be used to connect fellow ancient collectors... At least he got it right), but these don't detract from the excellent information within. I'd say buy the first volume to get a taste, and if your interest is Greek, then get the second, if a Roman then get the third, but buy a few coins while your at it! We're coin collectors, not book collectors after all! Just stick to trusted sellers like Vcoins, or try your hand at some of the auctions like CNG.

 

Another vote for the Sayles books, and for free online resources such a Doug's website.

 

I think it's all been said, but I will add that I have a library of books on Ancient coin collecting that are mostly collectors themselves - of dust that is.. Oh, to be sure, I double check references often enough, but at least for me online resources are easier to use. Buy something you like first, then go from there. But I'll bet you can't just buy one.

 

I think the combination of all that has been said fully answers your question....an inexpensive book or paperback of Sayles etc is always great to have on hand---but I generally use internet resources the bulk of the time now.

 

I second the recommendation of chrsmat71 of John Anthony's "Collecting Greek Coins" book, even if you intend to collect Roman coins. Sayles volume I shows a little bit of everything, which is good. On the other hand, I will go against the trend and not recommend the Sayles books devoted to Greek (volume II) and Roman (volume III) coins. They are too focused on high end coins, often have only one side pictured (so the fascination of historical reverses is neglected), and just give shallow information about the place or ruler that others have rightly noted could be pulled from the web. There is very little explanation of coinage--just some illustrated coins. Volume V on Byzantine coins suffers in the same way. However, volume VI on non-classical cultures is a very good overview. You can learn a bit about Parthian, Sasanian, Arabic, and other non-classical coins.

The subject of Roman provincial coins from 500 mint cities with a wide variety of reverses is very complicated. Sayles' book, volume IV, barely scratches the surface. Butcher's book "Roman Provincial Coins" is much better--truly outstanding, both very readable and with a ton of information you cannot find elsewhere. Whenever I go on trips I take it and have already read it seven times and will again.

So, I think Sayles volumes I and VI are worthwhile.

The best introductions to Roman and Greek coinage (as opposed to collectors' guides) are in the Seaby publication series. "Coinage in the Roman World" by Andrew Burnett is excellent (168 pages, 187 coins illustrated). It is scholarly and entertaining and a clear exposition. Buy it! "Coinage in the Greek World" by Ian Carradice and Martin Price is similar for the Greek world (154 pages, 302 coins illustrated). Buy it!

Long ago many collectors began with books by Zander Klawans. "An outline of Ancient Greek Coins" includes Roman provincial coins. His "Handbook" and "Reading and Dating" will teach you things you will be glad to know.

I have a copy of one Klawans book on my site:
http://augustusmath.hypermart.net/numislit.html

I have an educational web page on books:
http://esty.ancients.info/numis/learnmore.html

Web sites are great. But they rarely have a balanced view of a series (Roman, Greek, etc.) and many do not address aspects that good books do well. If you want to know a reference ID number for a particular type you have bought, or if you want to know facts about individual coins, websites often do that well. If you want to see the forest rather than just trees, get some good books.

 

If you are tempted by Greek coins, this book is a "must have" for beginners. In order to identify a Greek coin,you have to know where it comes from??????
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Greek-Coin...-1-fkmr2&keywords=how+to+identify+greek+coins

 

The problem with books is their relative price to their value. Some, like Anthony, are cheap and no-brainers but others are becoming collector's items which are interesting but probably not something you need in the first phase of the hobby. My book review page really need updating.
http://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/book.html

For that matter all of my page need updating. Worse, I could use updating.

 

Wow. I am completely overwhelmed by the response! Thank you everyone for such great information and advice. I have a lot to sift through. I'll definitely check out the internet links posted here and probably buy a recommended book or two (I do like to read).

I do have a book on the coinage of Probus coming in the mail. It's in French, but it should be great French practice. J'aime lire les livres français sur les monnaies anciennes, et en espagnol aussi. I'll also have to brush up on my Latin. Ita vero, pecuniam delecteo. Uel moneta?

It definitely sounds like Vcoins is the place to buy ancients with pretty high confidence. I have bought other coins there, such as medieval, Japanese and Mexican, but I have yet to crack the ancient market. This thread has definitely inspired me.

 

http://probvs.net/probvs/
You might enjoy the above website.

 

post your coin when you get it ewo!

 

I get a lot of mileage out of Wildwinds for checking attributions. So far, every coin I've bought has been (correctly!) attributed by the seller, but I'm waiting for the time when I can snap up a rare but misattributed coin for peanuts.

I know your review of it isn't uniformly positive, but I bought ERIC II partially for the coin pictures and the relative rarity/eBay price index. I think it's a substantial piece of work (in more ways than one! it must weigh 20 pounds!), and well worth the tradeoff of not buying another coin or two to get it, even though it was somewhat pricey.

OTOH, this is also why I'm not rushing out to find the volumes of RIC that cover the period I'm interested in. Most of the info is easily available online for free.

Meh, the hardest part about "coin Latin" is remembering the abbreviations.

 

Man (I mean OMG), I think I need to learn Text language!!!!

 

Ed,

Are you more interested in Greek or Roman coins?

My recommendations for a first purchase:

Greek:

G. K. Jenkins. 1972. Ancient Greek Coins. New York: Putnam. (readily available online for about $25-$40)

Roman:

David R. Sear. 1988. Roman coins and their values. London: Seaby. (this is when it was still a one volume book, still readily available online for about $25-$40)

 

There are two editions of Jenkins, Ancient Greek Coins. In contrast to every other book with two editions I can think of, the first is far superior (the first is Putnam, not Seaby). For some inexplicable reason, the second has over 100 fewer pages with 250 fewer coin images. So, don't get the one with blue on the dust jacket, get the one with "The World of Numismatics" low in white on the dust jacket.

 

If all you want is an ID number, on-line sources can do that. But books like BMC and RIC actually have exposition that is interesting and books like the ones I recommended above explain a lot about coinage. They give a big picture I think is worth a lot. Considering how expensive coins are, a few well-chosen books will be a good investment in enjoyment. Compare a $20 or $30 coin to a $20 or $30 book, like "Coinage in the Roman World." The coin you get to have. It may fill a slot in a collection. You look at it sometimes. There is pleasure and pride in ownership.

However, you could say that about books too! You can be proud of your growing library. You occasionally look at them. You can learn and become more appreciative of what you have. You can become more-informed about what is interesting in your series. You will become a better and more-informed buyer. You can even answer questions on CoinTalk because you will know something more than the minimum!