Hi, recently registered but usually a lurker. Anyway, I'm looking for a good book about the symbolism found in coinage and paper money. I did find this article online which is pretty good: http://www.philadelphiafed.org/publications/economic-education/symbols-on-american-money.pdf . I'd like something a little more substantial though as this article is relatively short. Any ideas?
Money is symbol. The easy answer is, "No." Thank you for the link. I put nice paper in my printer and ran off a copy which I put on a shelf with books about the history of money and commerce. I know of no books like that but bigger. I can recommend similar works that do address symbolisms. The Money Makers International by Willibard Kranister (Cambridge: Black Bear, 1992) Kranister was president of the Austrian National Bank, so the book has authoritative detail. He does mention symbols for some issues and in fact often for US, but this is not at all at the depth of the Goldsmith work. The Art of Money by David Standish (San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2000). Again, a splendid set of illustrations with an occasional narrative nod to the symbols and symbolisms. Numismatic Art in America: aesthetics of the American coinage by Cornelius Vermeule was just reprinted by Whitman. Once more, close, but not exactly what you are looking for, this book does focus on the artists and their works and therefore does touch on the symbols, but it falls short of not being the kind of work asked for. And that's it, folks... if anyone knows of 300 pages like the 16 provided, please let us all know...
I think he's asking in the wrong place. This sounds like a question for the E-Sylum, weekly email of the Numismatic Bibliophiles. The society can be found here http://www.coinbooks.org/about/index.html and there is a link at the top of that page, or you can just go here and subscribe https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum It's free and you won't get a bunch of spam. Once you join you can ask your question and if such a book exists you will probably get an answer back fairly quickly. (The E-sylum comes out every Sunday evening.)
This is a set I have in my library that may be of interest to you. 1992 Tempus In Nummis - Vol. 1 (Numbers, Calendars, Eras, Dates, Dating, Chronograms), James Sweeney & Robert Turfboer 1992 Tempus In Nummis - Vol. 2 (Symbols, Calendars, Life Events, Events. Anniversaries, Time), Sweeney & Turfboer
