Recommended Reference Books

Many reference books are available on ancient coins, most of them specialized. We offer this list of books we have found to be particularly good value, as a guide to starting your numismatic library.

We suggest that you begin with some of these general handbooks, acquiring more specialized works as your collecting interests develop. If the book is presently in print, the list price is given. Look for it at a good Internet bookstore, such as Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble, or click on the thumbnail to be taken to the publisher's website or other source. If the book you want is out of print, you may be able to find it in our numismatic literature offerings.

	Roman Coins and Their Values. The (5th) Millennium Edition. Volume One, The Republic and the Twelve Caesars by David R. Sear. £45.00 Format: Hardcover, 532pp. ISBN: 190204035X Publisher: Spink and Son Ltd. Pub. Date: June 2000 "Roman Coins and Their Values" was first published by Seaby 36 years ago and has previously been through four revisions. The 'Millennium Edition' is a radical departure from previous editions. Entries include a virtually complete listing of the entire Republican series, and more comprehensive coverage of the Imperial series. Emphasis is given to the chronology and place of mintage of each type and extensive coverage is given to coins struck at Alexandria over a period of more than 300 years. Prices ( in pounds and dollars) are given in two or three grades. Illustrations have been increased, and their quality improved. This expansion has led to dividing the work into three volumes. Volume II is "The Adoptive Emperors, the Antonines and the Severans, A.D. 96-235, and Volume III will be "The Decline and Fall of Rome and the Triumph of Christianity, A.D. 235-491".
	Roman Coins and Their Values. Volume Two, The Accession of Nerva to the Overthrow of the Severan Dynasty AD 96 - AD 235. by David R. Sear. £65.00 Format: Hardcover, 696pp. ISBN: 1902040457 Publisher: Spink and Son Ltd. Pub. Date:2002 Volume II extends coverage of the Imperial series to the overthrow of the Severan dynasty in 235. It encompasses the ‘golden age’ of the Roman imperial coinage. The full development of the Augustan system of coin denomination and perfection of the method by which government propaganda was communicated to the citizenry through the medium of coinage both reached their peak during these fourteen decades. The preceding coinages of the Julio-Claudian and Flavians periods had seen much experimentation with the currency system and tentative early steps in the development of the propaganda potential of the reverse types. The coinages of the Adoptive emperors and those of the Antonine and Severan dynasties saw the ultimate fulfilment of this process resulting in a coinage of unprecedented volume and complexity. The number of types included in the listings shows a dramatic increase and the proportion of illustrated coins is much greater than before. Current market valuations are given in pounds sterling and US dollars, in two or three grades. Illustrations have been increased, and their quality improved. The biographical sketches at the commencement of each reign and under certain subsidiary headings have been fully revised.
	Greek Coins and their values Volume 1: Europe by David R. Sear $60.00 Format: Hardcover, 320pp. ISBN: 0713478497 Publisher: Spink & Son Ltd Pub. Date: 30Nov1995 The only English guide with prices to the coinage of the Greek and Celtic worlds, which every Greek coin collector should have. It lists only a fraction of the varieties, but provides an excellent introduction. The first of two volumes.
	Greek Coins and their values Volume 2: Asia & Africa by David R. Sear $60.00 Format: Hardcover, 766pp. ISBN: 0713478500 Publisher: Spink & Son Ltd Pub. Date: 29Feb1996 The only English guide with prices to the coinage of the Greek and Celtic worlds, which every Greek coin collector should have. It lists only a fraction of the varieties, but provides an excellent introduction. The second of two volumes.
	Greek Imperial Coins and their values by David R. Sear $85.00 Format: Hardcover, 636pp. ISBN: 0900652594 Publisher: Spink & Son Ltd Pub. Date: 31Dec1982 Like Sear's other handbooks, this is an excellent one-volume introduction (with prices) to a very complex coinage. It is also a very useful resource in attributing the often challenging Roman Provincial issues, due to its unique organization indexed by rulers rather than mints.
	Byzantine Coins and their values by David R. Sear, 2nd revised edition Out of print Format: Hardcover, 526pp. ISBN: 0900652713 Publisher: Spink & Son Ltd Pub. Date: 31Dec1987 Another outstanding work by Sear, which provides a very complete priced compilation of the long Byzantine series, this has become a standard reference. A must for the collector interested in Byzantine coins.
	Handbook of Ancient Greek and Roman Coins by Zander H. Klawans and Kenneth E. Bressett $13.95 Format: Paperback, 287pp. ISBN: 030709362X Publisher: Western Publishing Company, Incorporated Pub. Date: March 1995 A consolidation of two very popular books by Klawans, originally published as Reading and Dating Roman Imperial Coins and An Outline of Ancient Greek Coins. An excellent introduction for beginning collectors, with many nuggets of information for the experienced numismatist.
	Guide to Biblical Coins, 4th Edition by David Hendin $75.00 Format: Hardcover, 512pp. ISBN: 0965402924 Publisher: Amphora Pub. Date: April 1, 2001 The fourth edition of the most widely used reference in the field of ancient Biblical and Jewish Coins, with more than 10,000 copies already in print, is also the most complete edition yet, listing more than 550 different coins while maintaining the same numbering system as Hendin's popular third edition. Hendin has dramatically expanded the text with extensions and significant new material. This new edition contains a full 38 pages of photographic plates illustrating more than 500 coins and weights. The noted professional numismatist Herbert Kreindler has for the first time evaluated the coins in two grades for the Biblical coin series. Kreindler is also widely known as an expert in Biblical coins, and the evaluations are based upon worldwide auction and private markets of the past decade.
	Ancient Coin Collecting by Wayne G. Sayles $24.95 Format: Hardcover, 208pp. ISBN: 087341442X Publisher: Krause Publications Pub. Date: June 1996 The perfect companion for David Sear's handbooks, this very reasonably priced series by noted antiquarian Wayne Sayles is not in catalogue format, but presents ancient coins in their historical context and from the point of view of a knowledgeable and dedicated collector. The first volume is an excellent overview of the entire field of ancient coins.
	Ancient Coin Collecting II: Numismatic Art of the Greek World by Wayne G. Sayles $24.95 Format: Hardcover, 197pp. ISBN: 0873415000 Publisher: Krause Publications Pub. Date: April 1997 Sayles' second volume focuses on the Greek world, delving into the historical background of the issuing city-states and the artistic qualities of this rich and individualistic coinage.
	Ancient Coin Collecting III: The Roman World-Politics and Propaganda by Wayne G. Sayles $24.95 Format: Hardcover, 208pp. ISBN: 0873415337 Publisher: Krause Publications Pub. Date: September 1997 The third volume in this series is a fine historical overview of the Roman series, with good coverage of the Republican period followed by excellent historical sketches of the emperors.
	Ancient Coin Collecting IV: Roman Provincial Coins by Wayne G. Sayles $24.95 Format: Hardcover, 208pp. ISBN: 0873415523 Publisher: Krause Publications Pub. Date: May 1998 The fourth volume in this series is a very absorbing overview of the provincial issues struck by Greek cities under the Roman Empire. This fascinating and difficult series is thoroughly covered, with an excellent introduction to coins of Roman Egypt by Kerry Wetterstrom.
	Ancient Coin Collecting V: The Romaion/Byzantine Culture by Wayne G. Sayles $24.95 Format: Hardcover, 208pp. ISBN: 0873416376 Publisher: Krause Publications Pub. Date: November 1998 The fifth volume in this series describes the cultural and historical background of the coinage of the Eastern remnant of the Roman Empire after the fall of the West. The perfect companion to David Sear's notable catalogue of the 1000 year Byzantine series.
	Ancient Coin Collecting VI: Non-Classical Cultures by Wayne G. Sayles $24.95 Format: Hardcover, 197pp. ISBN: 0873417534 Publisher: Krause Publications Pub. Date: July 1999 From the Land of Sheba to the Court of Ghengis Khan, the past rings with the famous names of those "other" ancients: Darius of Persia; Charlemagne; Tamerlane and countless others left their mark, and their coinage survives as a testament to their greatness. The final volume in an acclaimed series, Ancient Coin Collecting VI sheds light on many diverse civilizations that struck coinage in ancient times. This user-friendly, intuitive guide will introduce hobbyists to coins that have often been avoided as too complex, and instead reveal just how collectible this coinage can be.
	Classical Deception: Counterfeits, Forgeries and Reproductions of Ancient Coins by Wayne G. Sayles $24.95 Format: Hardcover, 208pp. ISBN: 0873419685 Publisher: Krause Publications Pub. Date: January 2001 "Classical Deception" takes an objective and candid look at the history of falsifying ancient coins. It traces the careers of well-known forgers and discusses the many fakes that proliferate in the modern market. Topics covered include manufacturing techniques, the collector response to the problem and tools and methods of detecting fakes. Special sections include a catalog of the previously unpublished work of reproduction artist Peter Rosa and extensive bibliographies leading to a wealth of technical information. Illustrated with more than 200 photos to help collectors differentiate authentic coins from fakes.
	Ancient Coin Reference Reviews by Dennis J. Kroh $25.00 Format: Paperback, 107pp. ISBN: 0963875108 Publisher: Empire Coins Pub. Date: 1993 You've heard the saying "buy the book before you buy the coin." Buy this book before you buy the book! All of the major, and most of the minor, references are reviewed by a former dealer in ancient coins who tells you how useful they are and how much they should sell for. An outstanding resource and the only book of its kind.

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