Log in or Sign up
Coin Talk
Home
Forums
>
Coin Forums
>
Coin Chat
>
TRIVIA: Ancient Roman Coin Denominations
>
Reply to Thread
Message:
<p>[QUOTE="dougsmit, post: 964780, member: 19463"]Perhaps but I believe this is a reflection on the fact that there are so many books on Ancient coins that buyers have trouble sorting out the correct one for their level. Sometimes I classify books in two groups: those over my head and those I could have written. Writing beginner books for this market is a thankless task. Wayne Sayles wrote a good beginner primer called <b>Ancient Coin Collecting</b> Volume 1. It had 197 small pages, well selected illustrations and information that a new collector could master to a 100% level and still be considered a relatively new collector. It met two major criticisms: 1. It was NOT a Red Book since it did not catalog all of the coins available (an absurd impossibility but what people expect when they already own a Red Book and Krauss). 2. It glossed over so many subjects so quickly that the beginner really did not know enough to collect but had only been made aware of what was out there. Wayne corrected the second problem by releasing volumes II through VI (and an unnumbered volume on Fakes) each of which expanded on one area allowing a beginner to buy only, for example, the Roman volume (III) and ignore the rest of the Ancient World. These did nothing to quiet the criticism of not allowing assignment of a catalog number like a Red Book. Other authors have books on small or large subsets of what is available but even the best tend to miss some coins. Very shortly Raisel Suarez is releasing a second edition of his <b>Encyclopedia of Roman Imperial Coins</b> (ERIC II) which attempts to catalog all of the Roman Imperial coins but will probably miss a few (especially those that get dug up between now and when the book comes out). At 1400+ pages it will be criticised for being too big and expensive ($150) but it is still a beginner level book and does not come anywhere close to teaching everything there is to know any more than a Red Book does for US coins. It replaces the very good ERIC I which was criticised for being incomplete and costing $75. </p><p> </p><p>Neither of the books mentioned (for that matter not 90% of all books on Ancients) address the question of coin prices and probably 90% of new collectors consider this a fatal flaw. No one in their right mind would try to issue a book pricing every Ancient coin in five grades but the market for beginner's books still looks for a Red Book. </p><p> </p><p>One of the things that we can do on the Ancient/World section of Coin Talk is to help guide beginners to books or information in other formats (the Internet has really changed this!!!). There is no such thing as a do-all book for beginners and no one alive is capable of writing one. Numismatics is a lifetime study that attracts people of every level. The difference between beginners and experts is to some degree that the latter have a better understanding of a few of the questions and are more aware of the fact that they are lacking firm answers.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="dougsmit, post: 964780, member: 19463"]Perhaps but I believe this is a reflection on the fact that there are so many books on Ancient coins that buyers have trouble sorting out the correct one for their level. Sometimes I classify books in two groups: those over my head and those I could have written. Writing beginner books for this market is a thankless task. Wayne Sayles wrote a good beginner primer called [B]Ancient Coin Collecting[/B] Volume 1. It had 197 small pages, well selected illustrations and information that a new collector could master to a 100% level and still be considered a relatively new collector. It met two major criticisms: 1. It was NOT a Red Book since it did not catalog all of the coins available (an absurd impossibility but what people expect when they already own a Red Book and Krauss). 2. It glossed over so many subjects so quickly that the beginner really did not know enough to collect but had only been made aware of what was out there. Wayne corrected the second problem by releasing volumes II through VI (and an unnumbered volume on Fakes) each of which expanded on one area allowing a beginner to buy only, for example, the Roman volume (III) and ignore the rest of the Ancient World. These did nothing to quiet the criticism of not allowing assignment of a catalog number like a Red Book. Other authors have books on small or large subsets of what is available but even the best tend to miss some coins. Very shortly Raisel Suarez is releasing a second edition of his [B]Encyclopedia of Roman Imperial Coins[/B] (ERIC II) which attempts to catalog all of the Roman Imperial coins but will probably miss a few (especially those that get dug up between now and when the book comes out). At 1400+ pages it will be criticised for being too big and expensive ($150) but it is still a beginner level book and does not come anywhere close to teaching everything there is to know any more than a Red Book does for US coins. It replaces the very good ERIC I which was criticised for being incomplete and costing $75. Neither of the books mentioned (for that matter not 90% of all books on Ancients) address the question of coin prices and probably 90% of new collectors consider this a fatal flaw. No one in their right mind would try to issue a book pricing every Ancient coin in five grades but the market for beginner's books still looks for a Red Book. One of the things that we can do on the Ancient/World section of Coin Talk is to help guide beginners to books or information in other formats (the Internet has really changed this!!!). There is no such thing as a do-all book for beginners and no one alive is capable of writing one. Numismatics is a lifetime study that attracts people of every level. The difference between beginners and experts is to some degree that the latter have a better understanding of a few of the questions and are more aware of the fact that they are lacking firm answers.[/QUOTE]
Your name or email address:
Do you already have an account?
No, create an account now.
Yes, my password is:
Forgot your password?
Stay logged in
Coin Talk
Home
Forums
>
Coin Forums
>
Coin Chat
>
TRIVIA: Ancient Roman Coin Denominations
>
Home
Home
Quick Links
Search Forums
Recent Activity
Recent Posts
Forums
Forums
Quick Links
Search Forums
Recent Posts
Competitions
Competitions
Quick Links
Competition Index
Rules, Terms & Conditions
Gallery
Gallery
Quick Links
Search Media
New Media
Showcase
Showcase
Quick Links
Search Items
Most Active Members
New Items
Directory
Directory
Quick Links
Directory Home
New Listings
Members
Members
Quick Links
Notable Members
Current Visitors
Recent Activity
New Profile Posts
Sponsors
Menu
Search
Search titles only
Posted by Member:
Separate names with a comma.
Newer Than:
Search this thread only
Search this forum only
Display results as threads
Useful Searches
Recent Posts
More...