Numismatic Research Grants

Boosibri

Which areas of numismatic research remain deprived of sufficient reference material. I’d love for a fund to be created to issue grants to researcher to complete much needed books of relevant and interesting topics. Any ideas?

neildrobertson

I've wished that someone would translate some references into English, so that information can be more accessible to folks like me.

Yorkshireman

Brian,
You must have some thoughts on this issue already as you opened the thread.
Give us your ideas.

pruebas

Maybe 20 years ago, before his falling out with the ANA, dealer Richard Long tried to collect donations to endow something (I forget what exactly) for Mexican numismatics at the ANA. It failed miserably.

Coin people, it seems, aren’t much for pledging funds no matter how noble the cause.

Boosibri

@Yorkshireman said:
Brian,
You must have some thoughts on this issue already as you opened the thread.
Give us your ideas.

My specific thought is that authors generally lose money on the great research works which are so essential to the advancement of the hobby. So you generally see labors of love from people with the means to bankroll this themselves, or dealers who specialize, as the key contributors. What could be accomplished if there were a grant program to fund research and reduce the burden on authors for important works that may only have a printing of 100-200 copies.

MrEureka

My first thought is that anyone who can’t afford to publish a book can find a way to publish it online or in a PDF, so money is probably not the answer.

That said, I would love to see a series of books on Colonial Spain, similar to what Dave Akers did for US gold, Dick Long and Mike Dunigan did for Mexico, etc.

Euclid

I am not sure the cost of publishing a physical book is the limiting factor, rather it is the time that it takes to perform research, find publishable photographs, edit, and so on. It's true that anyone can publish a PDF, but proper incentives could produce a better PDF.

Personally, I would like to see the Central American Republic covered. Surely you could get behind a grant for someone to publish in this area MrEureka

MrEureka

@Euclid said:
I am not sure the cost of publishing a physical book is the limiting factor, rather it is the time that it takes to perform research, find publishable photographs, edit, and so on. It's true that anyone can publish a PDF, but proper incentives could produce a better PDF.

Personally, I would like to see the Central American Republic covered. Surely you could get behind a grant for someone to publish in this area MrEureka

Here’s a good start on that, Be sure to scroll down to the 8 Reales, where die varieties have recently been added.

https://www.monedasdeguatemala.com/indexIN.html

Nap

Has the "kickstarter" method ever been tried for numismatic publication? I think this would be a possibly viable model for someone looking to produce a book, especially a younger person who is is intimidated by the paperwork and bureaucracy associated with applying for grants.

MrEureka

@coinosaurus?

MrEureka

I would expect the ANS and EPNNES to be receptive to assisting with the publication of promising works. And I think it would be much easier to get funding from them or any number of other candidates if the work is already written and worthy, rather than just an idea.

messydesk

I think the CSNS has some sort of grants available for authors, but I can't remember the details.

Funding might also be had in the form of advertising within the book if push came to shove.