Post Your Latest Coin Book

[AncientNumis]

Hi all! So, I know there's a thread for posting your latest coin purchases, but how about one for coin books? Here you can post when you get a new coin book you like 🙂 

I'll start off. 

Firstly, I got this super nice big book (in French) about carved gems and Roman Republican coins featuring all sorts of animals. It has some wonderful close-ups and lots of info (plus I like to collect animal coins) so probably my favourite addition to my numismatic library so far. 

The second one is a reprint of an old catalogue from the late 19th Century. I got it as a gift from a family member because they know I collect ancients. It's not really related to what I collect or anything, and is just descriptions, but it's still cool! 

So yeah, share your most recent coin books you've bought 😄 

[Pantoffel]

Ive recently bought these two. Still waiting on one to arrive. Been a joy reading. 
Bought them because i have two of the coins coming in from the books 🙂. 

[Spaniard]

Excellent reference book..

Antoninus Pius tetradrachm from my collection...

[Roman Collector]

My son, COLLECTOR IVN NOB C, kindly gave me these two books as Christmas gifts.

The first one, Frank L. Holt's When Money Talks, A History of Coins and Numismatics, is refreshingly more about the history and purpose of numismatics than it is about the history of coinage. It's rather scholarly and the end notes comprise several dozen pages alone. It covers such areas as the first numismatists, the development of numismatics as a science, the role of pseudoscience in numismatic history, hoards, the ethics of collecting, and where the discipline of numismatics is heading in the future. You may read about the book here at the publisher's website.

The second one, Jasper Burns' The Roman Sestertius: A Collector's Guide, is a fun read. Jasper himself posted about it at another coin discussion board and I recommend reading his thread for a summary of its contents. It comes in a black and white edition and a color edition. I recommend the color edition -- you really want to see the patinas on the coins illustrated. Jasper covers the history of the sestertius and the sorts of factors to take into account when buying a sestertius for one's collection. He illustrates the book profusely with high-grade examples from high-end auctions and notes the prices realized. The book is helpful for those new to the hobby, to be sure, but even those collectors with decades of experience and hundreds of sestertii in their coin cabinets will enjoy the book.

And since one of the books is about sestertii, here's the latest sestertius to join my numophylacium.
 

Gordian III, AD 238-244.
Roman orichalcum sestertius, 22.88 g, 30.7 mm, 1 h.
Rome, 6th officina. 13th emission, January-February AD 244.
Obv: IMP GORDIANVS PIVS FEL AVG, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust, right.
Rev: MARS PROPVGNAT SC, Mars advancing right, holding transverse spear in right hand and shield on left arm.
Refs: RIC 332a; Cohen 157; RCV 8718; Hunter 148; Banti 52.

 

[Alegandron]

MY GO-TO's:

I acquired (from Warren Esty), a Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum for North Africa Syrtica-Mauretania from 1969 PLATE BOOK that illustrates each of my coins. 

Nice Large reference at approx 15.5" x 11.5" (39 x 29 cm) that illustrates a nice chunk of Carthage issues.

- SNG Copenhagen, the original "North Africa, Syrtica, and Mauretania"
(Warren Esty helped me get this! @Valentinian) - My focus on Carthage

- Sear / Seaby - Roman Coins I & II - Especially book I for my Roman Republic focus

- Sear / Seaby - Greek Coins I & II - My Makedon, Diadochi, Carthage, and Sicily focus

- Thurlow & Vecchi - Italian Cast Coinage - My focus on Aes Grave

- David Hartill - Cast Chinese Coinage

- Flinders Petrie - Historical Scarabs (with several other Egyptian / Scarab books) - opens a whole new world of Historical collecting beyond coinage.

Carthage
Third Punic War with Rome 149-146 BCE
Billon Serrate Double Shekel
12.83g, 26mm.
Obv: Wreathed head of Tanit left
Rev: Horse standing right, pellet below raised left leg
Ref: SNG Copenhagen 403.
Comment: Very fine, several (cleaning?) scratches.

Notes:
Scarce. From the last issue of Carthage before its destruction by a vengeful Rome following the Third Punic War (149-146 BC). The serrate edge is found on both Electrum and Billon coins of the period and is similar to the flan treatments of contemporary Macedonian and Seleukid bronze coins. The reason for this added detail remains a mystery. SCARCE (only 2 listed on ACSearch.)
Jenkins & Lewis pl. 28, 14; MAA 100b; cf. SNG Copenhagen 403 (pellet below back legs)
NONE listed on CNG Coins
Wildwinds: 160-149/6 BCE

[AncientNumis]

4 hours ago, Roman Collector said:

My son, COLLECTOR IVN NOB C, kindly gave me these two books as Christmas gifts.

The first one, Frank L. Holt's When Money Talks, A History of Coins and Numismatics, is refreshingly more about the history and purpose of numismatics than it is about the history of coinage. It's rather scholarly and the end notes comprise several dozen pages alone. It covers such areas as the first numismatists, the development of numismatics as a science, the role of pseudoscience in numismatic history, hoards, the ethics of collecting, and where the discipline of numismatics is heading in the future. You may read about the book here at the publisher's website.

The second one, Jasper Burns' The Roman Sestertius: A Collector's Guide, is a fun read. Jasper himself posted about it at another coin discussion board and I recommend reading his thread for a summary of its contents. It comes in a black and white edition and a color edition. I recommend the color edition -- you really want to see the patinas on the coins illustrated. Jasper covers the history of the sestertius and the sorts of factors to take into account when buying a sestertius for one's collection. He illustrates the book profusely with high-grade examples from high-end auctions and notes the prices realized. The book is helpful for those new to the hobby, to be sure, but even those collectors with decades of experience and hundreds of sestertii in their coin cabinets will enjoy the book.

And since one of the books is about sestertii, here's the latest sestertius to join my numophylacium.
 

Gordian III, AD 238-244.
Roman orichalcum sestertius, 22.88 g, 30.7 mm, 1 h.
Rome, 6th officina. 13th emission, January-February AD 244.
Obv: IMP GORDIANVS PIVS FEL AVG, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust, right.
Rev: MARS PROPVGNAT SC, Mars advancing right, holding transverse spear in right hand and shield on left arm.
Refs: RIC 332a; Cohen 157; RCV 8718; Hunter 148; Banti 52.

 

That second book about Sestertii sure looks great, think I saw the thread about it a while back. I don’t really collect Sestertii but I have a few and am interested in them, so maybe my next coin book buy? I’ll update here if I do get it soon 🙂 ! 
And nice sestertius! 

[AncientNumis]

4 hours ago, Alegandron said:

MY GO-TO's:

I acquired (from Warren Esty), a Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum for North Africa Syrtica-Mauretania from 1969 PLATE BOOK that illustrates each of my coins. 

Nice Large reference at approx 15.5" x 11.5" (39 x 29 cm) that illustrates a nice chunk of Carthage issues.

- SNG Copenhagen, the original "North Africa, Syrtica, and Mauretania"
(Warren Esty helped me get this! @Valentinian) - My focus on Carthage

- Sear / Seaby - Roman Coins I & II - Especially book I for my Roman Republic focus

- Sear / Seaby - Greek Coins I & II - My Makedon, Diadochi, Carthage, and Sicily focus

- Thurlow & Vecchi - Italian Cast Coinage - My focus on Aes Grave

- David Hartill - Cast Chinese Coinage

- Flinders Petrie - Historical Scarabs (with several other Egyptian / Scarab books) - opens a whole new world of Historical collecting beyond coinage.

Carthage
Third Punic War with Rome 149-146 BCE
Billon Serrate Double Shekel
12.83g, 26mm.
Obv: Wreathed head of Tanit left
Rev: Horse standing right, pellet below raised left leg
Ref: SNG Copenhagen 403.
Comment: Very fine, several (cleaning?) scratches.

Notes:
Scarce. From the last issue of Carthage before its destruction by a vengeful Rome following the Third Punic War (149-146 BC). The serrate edge is found on both Electrum and Billon coins of the period and is similar to the flan treatments of contemporary Macedonian and Seleukid bronze coins. The reason for this added detail remains a mystery. SCARCE (only 2 listed on ACSearch.)
Jenkins & Lewis pl. 28, 14; MAA 100b; cf. SNG Copenhagen 403 (pellet below back legs)
NONE listed on CNG Coins
Wildwinds: 160-149/6 BCE

Great list of books! Really useful - I’ve got a few but not all of those, my favourites are those by Sear about Roman and Greek coins - I do really enjoy looking through the RR types in the first book (and it’s convinced me to start thinking about a new sub collection of RR coins 🙂) 

Love the coin as well - my only coin from Carthage is a simple bronze one, although i did get a good deal on it. 

Edited May 29, 2022 by AncientNumis

[Curtisimo]

My newest was a surprise gift from the Great @Qcumbor!