Post Your Favorite Ancient Coin Book

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by Aethelred, Dec 10, 2018.

  1. dougsmit

    dougsmit Member

    As often as I have gone public with my dislike for collecting by catalog number I really like the RIC text and footnotes that too many people ignore in their quest for a catalog number. I would love to see the editors of RIC publish a one volume book consisting of the RIC chapter heads and non catalog part for the people who want to learn about coins and not spend the $1000++ for the set.
     
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  3. Theodosius

    Theodosius Fine Style Seeker

    One of my favorite ancient coin books:

    20160723_121721.jpg

    It is easy to read and showcases some of the most artistic Greek coins with commentary on what makes them special. I have been on the lookout for coins from this book for years, some are accessible and some are very rare and/or expensive. Here is one I found a few years ago:

    Klazomanai Tet 1a.jpg
    The book pages:

    Klazomanai Tet 1 book obv.JPG

    Klazomanai Tet 1 book rev.JPG

    For an old thread on coin books check out:

    https://www.cointalk.com/threads/post-your-favorite-coin-book-and-related-coin.281606/

    John
     
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  4. Alegandron

    Alegandron "ΤΩΙ ΚΡΑΤΙΣΤΩΙ..." ΜΕΓΑΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ, June 323 BCE

    @Carausius , I could use a couple dozen for Saturnalia from you... :D

    upload_2018-12-12_12-24-21.png
    (I really abhor the pricing calculation Amazon creates...)

    I have been trying to get this, but the lowest Amazon price is still $517...
     
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  5. Carausius

    Carausius Brother, can you spare a sestertius?

    @Alegandron , you can get reprints cheaper than that (at the expense of plate quality). However, first editions (with the best quality plates) in good condition tend to cost about 800USD these days. Also, when buying numismatic books, please try to patronize the specialist numismatic booksellers - Kolbe & Fanning, Charles Davis, Douglas Saville, etc. Amazon doesn't really need your business, but the specialist numismatic booksellers really need it!
     
  6. Alegandron

    Alegandron "ΤΩΙ ΚΡΑΤΙΣΤΩΙ..." ΜΕΓΑΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ, June 323 BCE

    Thank you! Yes, I do patronize the Specialists... My wife works for Amazon, so the Amazon site seems to always be up on the pc. :) Besides, the $4k+ price was RIDICULOUSLY amusing...
     
  7. Ken Dorney

    Ken Dorney Yea, I'm Cool That Way...

    A favorite book can be just as hard as a favorite coin! It can be difficult to choose for many reasons, but perhaps my overall favorite is Confessions of a Numismatic Fanatic, by Frank Robinson, 1992. Its a general work and touches on everything from ancient to modern. A wonderful read, and I would hope that everyone would find a copy, about $10 on Amazon. I've read it many times over the years. It's so readable and relatable. Honestly, get a copy. You wont be disappointed.

    IMG_1469.jpg IMG_1470.jpg
     
  8. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic & Eccentric Moderator

    While this is not exclusively about ancient coins, I was really absorbed in it when my father gave me a copy. The photos showed all kinds of types I had never seen before.

    It was around 5 BC when I got the book. That's five years Before Computer in my case; circa 1994. I didn't have the Internet at my fingertips to show me all those amazing coins I otherwise never would have gotten to see. This book helped me "travel the world" in that sense.

    I still have it, in a dilapidated and dogeared state. Loved that book to death, I did.

    Picture borrowed from Amazon.

    51tKH0cfW1L._SX362_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg
     
  9. Orfew

    Orfew Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus

    I also have a copy. It was a great read.
     
  10. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic & Eccentric Moderator

    Pareidolia just kicked in, and I realized that the coins on the cover of that book make a smiley face. I wonder if FSR intended that.

    I wouldn't mind finding a copy of that.
     
  11. BenSi

    BenSi Well-Known Member

  12. Ryro

    Ryro Trying to remove supporter status

    On your and @Al Kowsky's recommendation I just ordered myself a copy of Coinage in the Roman Economy as a Christmas present. I found a used one on eBay for $26.99...with free shipping!
     
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  13. Alegandron

    Alegandron "ΤΩΙ ΚΡΑΤΙΣΤΩΙ..." ΜΕΓΑΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ, June 323 BCE

    I really enjoyed it. I know @Ken Dorney is reading or read it. It really puts Roman currencies in perspective. No, it is not a coin book yeah, several coins are featured. Rather it puts the whats, whys, and hows about coins in view of the Roman Economy changing over its history.
     
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  14. seth77

    seth77 Well-Known Member

    Also things of great interest that I'm reading now:

    - Il fenomeno della moneta in tomba di epoca medievale nell' Italia nord-occidentale: significati, continuita e rinnovamento di un rito, a BA of Valentina Fio from Universita Ca'Foscari di Venezia

    - The circulation and use of coins in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem 1099-1291, a doctoral thesis by Robert Kool of Hebrew University Jerusalem

    - Les emissions monetaires de Charles dit le Mauvais e Evreux (1356-1361), J. C. Moesgaard, Revue numismatique Tome 154

    And always useful as catalogs:

    - Catalogue general illustre et a prix marques de monnaies francaises (provinciales) de Boudeau

    - Monnaies feodales de France by Poey d'Avant
     
  15. Johnnie Black

    Johnnie Black Neither Gentleman Nor Scholar

    I’ve been looking for a cheap copy. I even asked Frank if he’d sell me one but said his stock is long gone.
     
  16. Silverlock

    Silverlock Well-Known Member

    Earlier this year I got a new copy from an MA-Shop dealer in France for something like $200 plus $40 in shipping. Arrived safely and it was the English language version. Since then they’ve had copies a few times. Keep checking. They go quickly.
     
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  17. Black Friar

    Black Friar Well-Known Member

    Kenneth Harl is a real treasure and is very approachable. My most used books is the Dunbarton Oaks Catalog of Byzantine Coins. I bit the bullet on that one about fifteen years ago. I first go to David Sears Byzantine Coins and Their Values. Then I go to DOC. For Alexandrine coinage, Price's book is my favorite. For 18th Century British Provincial tokens I go to the Dalton and Hamer catalog.

    I have a working library of several hundred numismatic books. Hard to pick a favorite, kinda like picking your favorite child. As a working numismatist, I need a very diverse library I can grab off of my shelf. I have been trying to cull out the books I don't use anymore. Will probably donate those to a non-profit org to use as a fundraiser. Our coin club is a 501c.3 tax deductions help, and others get a chance to pursue their hobby.

    We are very lucky today that we have so much info on the internet, what a resource.
    I love this hobby and the journeys it has taken me on.

    Cheers to all
     
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  18. Al Kowsky

    Al Kowsky Well-Known Member

    This book is by no means my favorite book on ancient coins but I bought a copy of it last year & found it a great read: The Secret Roots of Christianity, Decoding Religious History with Symbols on Ancient Coins. by David Wray. The book is a hefty 723 pages & illustrated with hundreds of coins from Wray's collection. All the illustrations are black & white but very high quality. David Wray presently teaches at River University in Nashua, NH, & won the highest literary award from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Wray has an encyclopedic knowledge of ancient history, world mythologies & ancient coins. Wray has adroitly woven a story of mysterious ancient religions that influenced & impacted Christianity. His conclusion is highly controversial & offensive to many Christians, so this book may not be for everyone. I must admit I'm not a Christian & embrace no organized religion, so I had no problem digesting the contents of this book. If you are saturated with standard catalogs & books on ancient coins including all the coffee table books & have an open mind you will probably enjoy this book.

    [​IMG]
     
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  19. BenSi

    BenSi Well-Known Member

    Great thread, I just bought Franks Robinsons book and David Wray's book, the Wray book was very affordable..
     
    Last edited: Dec 13, 2018
  20. David Atherton

    David Atherton Flavian Fanatic

    Excluding the catalogues I use everyday, I would rank this fantastic book near the top of my list.

    monumental coins.jpg
     
  21. panzerman

    panzerman Well-Known Member

    I have a huge library of books dealing coinage/ banknotes.

    Here is a great book by Chris Rudd on Iron Age Briton Celtic Coinage...i love this book. Every known Celtic coin is shown/ gives detailed info on each coin. Great value. 1769_478c7c69.jpg
     
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