Greek Coin Types & Their Identification

Item Type

Book

Condition

Very Good

Used-good.

Full Description

Greek Coin Types & Their Identification

Richard Plant

Seaby Publications, 1979

Hardcover; 346 pages

Greek coins have always posed problems of identification to the average numismatist. Greek bronze coins, for example, are amongst the commonest of available ancient coins but are also the most difficult to identify, especially when worn and indistinct; further, many of the types occur at several cities.

The major numismatic catalogues list Greek coins geographically, making it virtually impossible to locate an unfamiliar coin. In this book, which is unique in its approach amongst the available literature on ancient coins, Richard Plant has taken nearly 3000 Greek coins, concentrating on types which may not be immediately identifiable from their inscriptions or subjects represented, and has broadly analysed them according to their characteristic types and grouped them accordingly.

It needs very little practice to be able to recognise tripods, animals, birds, fishes and the principal deities such as Zeus, Nike etc. For example, a coin having a temple with four columns on one side and two fishes on the other will be found under the heading 'Shrines and Temples: Temple or shrine with four columns' and also under the heading 'Two fishes or dolphins'; in each case the identification would be to an issue from Abdera in Hispania Ulterior and an illustration under the coin's main number. The place of issue, date, denomination, metal and size are given. This may be all the information which is required and sufficient to proceed to other standard works of reference.

No other book allows a coin to be so quickly identified via its types and the immense scope of this book is apparent when it is realised that here 'Greek' coins cover everything which is not Roman in the ancient world with the exception of Ancient British, Gaulish and Indo-Greek coins with Karosthi legends.

This book's ease of use will make it an invaluable aid to the identification of Greek coins for everyone from the beginner to the professional and will be a particularly welcome tool in the hands of the busy museum curator.