Can I get your opinions on it? Worth getting, or is there another book worth buying like Aorta or one of Sear's books?
Not really worth getting unless you can only afford one inexpensive reference. You are much better off getting either the 1988 Sear or the Sear millenia edition for the series you collect if you can afford them. I own all of them, including RIC and BMC, and use Sear the most often.
This is what I said in 2000: http://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/book.html#vanmeter Since I have become less certain that everyone needs the book but still feel that it is reasonably good for the money and has some good points and some faults just as does Sear. It lists more coins than Sear 1988 but is stil not complete by any means and no one cares about VM numbers so a lot of its value is just having a book on the subject that is not terribly expensive.
Thank you both. I've read your reviews, that is what has got my curious about it. I guess I should also mention I have Sayles Ancient Coin Collecting Vol 1 and 3 as well as Whiteman's Handbook of Ancient Greek and Roman Coins.
Either one of these are better than those books, (I have them too). Sayles is light reading, whereas the two books you are thinking of are better resources. My suggestion is to creat a search or two on Ebay and constantly keep an eye out for cheap books. You can always ask me my opinion, (and others too I am sure), since one of us is bound to own a copy of whatever is on auction. Again, if you had a more narrow focus on dates of Roman coins, I would highly recommend Sear millenium edition. Problem is they are pricier and it will be 5 to cover the Roman series when complete, (volume 5 not yet out).
A real question is what you want out of a book. I prefer books that are not catalogs of what exists but discussions of factors that apply to the study of coins that help you understand some of the why and how as well as the what and when. It seems like a while since we have had much in this genre. Some I have had for years are getting expensive on the used market (especially if you deal with the big online sellers that think anything out of print is printed on gold). Here are a few examples: Breglia, Laura, Roman Imperial Coins Their Art and Technique, really is a catalog with very few types shown. Coins get a two page spread rather like the Harlan Berk 100 Greatest book. One page is a huge blow up of one side of the coin while the other has a life size photo of both sides and text explaining why you should care about that coin (most of which you will never own). It was $20 new, I paid $8.50 used and found it just now for $14 which I consider just about fair. Of the three books listed here, buy this one last. Sutherland, CHV, Roman coins (The World of numismatics) is a nice fat book with better photos than Breglia but many show only one side of the coin and some are color. It was 8.25 pounds in 1974. I paid $70 as a rare book but now there is one for $15 on Amazon with others spiraling up to a new one for $358.44. Both of those prices are ridiculous. The text rambles on like something I would like to write for my website. Where a coin applies to the text, there is a number in the margins that leads you to the photo. I would not pay $70 again but I was young and foolish. Someone reading this needs the $15 one. There are Greek and Byzantine volumes in the series. While researching this note, I ordered a Greek one. There are more. I hope I enjoy reading about coins I'll never own. Of the three books here, this is the middle priced and would be the one I value second. Jones, John Melville, A Dictionary of Ancient Roman Coins, is exactly that. Terms you should know are arranged in alphabetical order with definitions ranging from a few words to articles more than a page long. If you absorb all the knowledge in this book, your head is likely to burst. There is a Greek co-volume sold separately which is even more head bursting. I don't know what I paid when I bought it new but there are several available for $50 or so. Note that none of these books are catalogs with ID numbers that will help you move coins on eBay. If, however, you read them, we will have a lot more to talk about on this venue. Many collectors don't want to know about or understand their coins. If your main interest is making labels for your coins, skip these.
Dang, I knew I should have. I was going to bring up the world of numismatic series earlier. I love these books. THere are three, Greek, ROman, and Byzantine. Of the three I find the Byzantine the most common for some reason. All three are interesting discussions of coinages of the series, and many photos of examples. I find all to be great background reading for any series, and even more advanced collectors will gain some great info reading through these. Randy, I highly recommend any of these three to you at around $40 or less, ($15 is a steal, if someone here doesn't buy it in the next week I will on general principal). The dictionaries are also great books. Many others are too. Like I said, scan around for books on the cheap and ask opinions here before you buy to see if its worth buying or not.
