What books need to be written?
MrEureka
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It occurs to me that there is no definitive reference for Swedish patterns. Granted, few people are losing sleep over that. But somebody should write the book.
What other subjects are inadequately covered by the existing literature?
What books need to be written???
What other subjects are inadequately covered by the existing literature?
What books need to be written???
Andy Lustig
Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.
Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.
Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
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Edited to add... Over on the lightside, my main collecting interest, San Francisco Gold, also has no standard reference. You have to cobble together information gleaned from sources such as books on US Gold or US Coins in general, Heritage auction write-ups, and Doug Winter's blog posts.
Belfort's reference is from the 1890's (and still remains the standard work)
Prou's reference was 1908.
The only recent reference that I'm aware of is a section in "Medieval European Coinage vol 1" from 1986. This is a useful reference (especially for me since it is in the English language), but it is not meant to be comprehensive in the manner of the prior two books.
There's nothing wrong with these old references, but there must be new information in the last hundred years that could fill volumes. Belfort's 1892 catalog is 5 volumes and I think has over 4000 individual coins described! Perhaps that sort of undertaking is just not practical these days (sort of like how nobody has replicated Gibbon's "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire)
I'd love a reference on the coinage of the Central American Republic and associated coinage from member states. MrEureka, given your collecting experience and previous blog posts on the subject, is there such a reference of which I am simply not aware?.
Carlos Jara has written on the subject to some extent but I don't think authoritatively producing THE book.
Latin American Collection
Funny. If I had to pick one project, I'm a lot closer to wanting to write a San Francisco Gold book, I've just always liked the CAR coinage and wanted to learn more.
Thanks. I googled that and see some things I can check out, thankfully in English. ;-)
I'd love a reference on the coinage of the Central American Republic and associated coinage from member states. MrEureka, given your collecting experience and previous blog posts on the subject, is there such a reference of which I am simply not aware?
Short of the KM catalog, there's no single work that covers all of it in any meaningful depth. Your best bet is to pick up books covering the individual countries, but even that won't get you very far.
I'm not even close to ready to write a book on the subject. But if Carlos Jara doesn't write the book in the next ten years, I should be ready to do it myself.
Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.
Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
But if Carlos Jara doesn't write the book in the next ten years, I should be ready to do it myself.
Looks like, one way or the other, I'll be set in a decade! Thanks ;-).
I think there is some demand for a Redbook-equivalent for ancients, picking the top X,000 types (covering all would be impractical but picking maybe 7,000 coins like the Redbook would be doable, and possibly more useful than just the "100 Greatest Ancients" by HJB)
This one I like - even though I don't presently collect ancients.
I was thinking of maybe 3 volumes: bronzes, silvers (including billon), gold and platinum.
Life member #369 of the Royal Canadian Numismatic Association
Member of Canadian Association of Token Collectors
Collector of:
Canadian coins and pre-confederation tokens
Darkside proof/mint sets dated 1960
My Ebay
(in a very British accent) "nothing you can write that can't be wrote"
OK, ok ... "nothing you can write that can't be written" -but that doesn't flow quite as nicely
Amat Colligendo Focum
Top 10 • FOR SALE
I think there is some demand for a Redbook-equivalent for ancients, picking the top X,000 types (covering all would be impractical but picking maybe 7,000 coins like the Redbook would be doable, and possibly more useful than just the "100 Greatest Ancients" by HJB)
SmEagle, seeing your signature again, after a while of not (I was yeti for some time), I clicked to view your Colosseo Collection again. I missed it and I'm not on my desktop where it is bookmarked.
Even though I know how amazing it is, I still was blown away by the pieces.
There seems to be many new members lately.
If you are new to the boards, and have not seen SmEagle's collection, you MUST! You absolutely must. I know others will back me up on this. Here is the link again if you haven't scrolled up to find it:
colosseocollection.com
To get back on topic, regarding this quoted text, I have always felt that scope and market pricing were the factors preventing books like this from being written about ancients and errors, respectively. Digital media, which is able to be constantly updated without republishing, may be the solution here.
When I was a kid, I loved flipping through the pages of Krause. Now as an adult collector, I simply update my catalogs the way I update software. Certainly a book of your authorship and specialty would demand more respect. A hardcover, and a signature if possible but I think you get my point. Embrace technology where possible and it may solve whatever was holding back authors of the past.
Amat Colligendo Focum
Top 10 • FOR SALE
I think there is some demand for a Redbook-equivalent for ancients, picking the top X,000 types (covering all would be impractical but picking maybe 7,000 coins like the Redbook would be doable, and possibly more useful than just the "100 Greatest Ancients" by HJB)
SmEagle, seeing your signature again, after a while of not (I was yeti for some time), I clicked to view your Colosseo Collection again. I missed it and I'm not on my desktop where it is bookmarked.
Even though I know how amazing it is, I still was blown away by the pieces.
There seems to be many new members lately.
If you are new to the boards, and have not seen SmEagle's collection, you MUST! You absolutely must. I know others will back me up on this. Here is the link again if you haven't scrolled up to find it:
colosseocollection.com
To get back on topic, regarding this quoted text, I have always felt that scope and market pricing were the factors preventing books like this from being written about ancients and errors, respectively. Digital media, which is able to be constantly updated without republishing, may be the solution here.
When I was a kid, I loved flipping through the pages of Krause. Now as an adult collector, I simply update my catalogs the way I update software. Certainly a book of your authorship and specialty would demand more respect. A hardcover, and a signature if possible but I think you get my point. Embrace technology where possible and it may solve whatever was holding back authors of the past.
Thanks! I appreciate the compliments
Perhaps to properly answer that question, one needs a book ABOUT all the books that HAVE been written.
In other words, a numismatic bibliography, with alphabetical sections by topic and by author, with a short (1-2 sentence) synopsis of everything readily available that's been published in the 21st and latter half of the 20th century.
I'm sure there are such bibliographies, but I don't know how exhaustive they are.
Some of the numismatic booksellers out there would be good folks to compile and/or contribute to this.
I think there is some demand for a Redbook-equivalent for ancients, picking the top X,000 types (covering all would be impractical but picking maybe 7,000 coins like the Redbook would be doable, and possibly more useful than just the "100 Greatest Ancients" by HJB)
I also like this idea, but pricing data would have to be very generalized and expressed in ranges, most likely, due to the infinite variables presented by ancient coin designs, styles, etc.
The Klawans "Handbook of Ancient Greek and Roman Coins" now put out by Whitman is an excellent little general guide, quite affordable, and probably the closest thing to a "Red Book for Ancient Coins" out there, though of course it does not go into pricing at all, for understandable reasons. Compiling a priceguide for ancients is probably a potential minefield and not a task I would like to take on. (In fact, to use an ancient metaphor, it sounds like a "Thirteenth Labor of Hercules" to me!)
I think there is some demand for a Redbook-equivalent for ancients, picking the top X,000 types (covering all would be impractical but picking maybe 7,000 coins like the Redbook would be doable, and possibly more useful than just the "100 Greatest Ancients" by HJB)
I also like this idea, but pricing data would have to be very generalized and expressed in ranges, most likely, due to the infinite variables presented by ancient coin designs, styles, etc.
The Klawans "Handbook of Ancient Greek and Roman Coins" now put out by Whitman is an excellent little general guide, quite affordable, and probably the closest thing to a "Red Book for Ancient Coins" out there, though of course it does not go into pricing at all, for understandable reasons. Compiling a priceguide for ancients is probably a potential minefield and not a task I would like to take on. (In fact, to use an ancient metaphor, it sounds like a "Thirteenth Labor of Hercules" to me!)
Indeed, I think a true priceguide wouldn't be ideal here, but maybe just a rough "$" "$$" "$$$" "$$$$" like Yelp to give a ballpark price. I think an easily accessed website/book which covers a very wide variety of types and collecting strategies (Muses, Hadrian's Travel Series, Historical Figures, denomination sets, etc.) would help give direction to collectors.
I've had a handful of conversations with various people and they've said this is badly needed, which I find a bit surprising, but I can't say I've found an exact book like this myself.
Pacific Northwest Numismatic Association
Perhaps to properly answer that question, one needs a book ABOUT all the books that HAVE been written.
In other words, a numismatic bibliography, with alphabetical sections by topic and by author, with a short (1-2 sentence) synopsis of everything readily available that's been published in the 21st and latter half of the 20th century.
I'm sure there are such bibliographies, but I don't know how exhaustive they are.
Some of the numismatic booksellers out there would be good folks to compile and/or contribute to this.
This does exist, written by the late Elvira Clain-Steffanelli, the former curator of numismatics at the Smithsonian. It's out of print and very good, but unfortunately ends in the 1980s and everything published since then probably equals everything published up to then in volume.
Spink book is good for England it could be made a little easier to follow. Spanish coins
have a book written by Cayon, but it like the Spink issue is difficult to follow in certain
areas. I would gladly buy one for my library and donate one to the ANA library as well.
Of course the only hope some of us have is to buy CD versions of the Krause century
issues and piece together the info we desire.
An easy to follow Red Book style volume for each country or time period. While the
Spink book is good for England it could be made a little easier to follow. Spanish coins
have a book written by Cayon, but it like the Spink issue is difficult to follow in certain
areas. I would gladly buy one for my library and donate one to the ANA library as well.
Of course the only hope some of us have is to buy CD versions of the Krause century
issues and piece together the info we desire.
I totally agree.
The Zeros of Zimbabwe.
This is actually an excellent subject. I wouldn't bother with Zimbabwe, but there aren't any books explaining the hyperinflation that several European countries went through after WW2 and how they've dealt with it.
Then again, this is a book that would be of interest to those of us who don't discriminate between coins and banknotes...
myEbay
DPOTD 3
The Zeros of Zimbabwe.
This is actually an excellent subject. I wouldn't bother with Zimbabwe, but there aren't any books explaining the hyperinflation that several European countries went through after WW2 and how they've dealt with it.
Then again, this is a book that would be of interest to those of us who don't discriminate between coins and banknotes...
Thank you Syracusian. I'm glad somebody got it.
A 1501-1600 16th century edition of Krause. I thought I heard rumors of one in the works once upon a time, but I suppose that could also have been wishful thinking on my part.