Coins Books

In this book Andrew Burnett writes that there is the wealth of information that coins can contribute to our understanding of the past. For example, the coins minted by Richard the Lionhearted and his brother John all carried the name of their father Henry II because public confidence was based upon an unchanging design. Or for another example, the coins minted by Caesar Augustus phased out the use of divine symbols when depicting the emperor. The political message sent by the coins was that Augustus was "first among equals." Not surprisingly, Nero reinstated the use of divine symbols on his coins. The political message here is that Nero was "first without equals." As historical sources coins have a couple of advantages. One is that they were officially produced. And the second is that they were massed produced.

_Coins_ is a concise yet very interesting book for readers who want to get beyond coin collecting.

Never has more information and colorful pictures been packed in such a small book. It was this book that encouraged me to start collection porcelain notgeld. The Contents list does not do justice to all the helpful information given in this book.
* The Early Coins
* Making Coins
* What is in a Coin
* Proof and Commemorative Coins and Tokens
* Portraits and Pictorialism Marks and Symbols
* Date, Legends and Inscriptions
* The Coin Collector's Guide

Just one chapter alone (What is in a Coin) it covers
* Gold
* Silver
* Copper
* Platinum
* Nickel
* Iron
* Zinc
* Tin
* Lead
* Aluminum
* Alloys
* Non-metallic (pasteboard, porcelain, stoneware, plastic, wood, etc.)
* Shape (Square, Triangular, Many-sided, Wavy-sided)

And the list goes on.
This is defiantly a good starting place and would make a good present.

Very good. Good reference book to have for coin collecting with lots of clear pictures of coins. Everything you ever wanted to know about coins is in this book.

Beautiful Numismatic Survey

A Review of "Coins - Pleasures and Treasures" by John Porteous

John Porteous covers a lot of coin history with this book. The author selected the prime examples from each of the eras covered. There are 32 pages of color photographs and 100 black and white photographs. There is ample historic background material to give a significant context.

Copyright 1964
Reprinted 1967

128 pages

Contents
1 - Coins of the Greeks
2 - Romans and Byzantines
3 - European Coinage in the Middle Ages
4 - The Renaissance and the Baroque
5 - Coinage Transformed

The subject selection is excellent and the photographs are outstanding.

I recommend this book as a good survey book on numismatics.

This book was written when the author was quite a young man, but nevertheless the numismatic sagacity contained within these pages is great. It is an excellent introduction to coins and medallions as a hobby (the pleasue part), and strikes a balance between the novice angle and those who want to know 'more'. It was written at a time when numismatic 'investment' was a buzz-word, and fortunately this is not much dwelt upon (the other angle of the title). If you can find a copy of this book, buy it, read it, and give thanks for Anthony Dowle!

Charles Riley, Aylesbury, England

Books on Canadian coins vary widely on there explanation of the varieties involved and descriptive text concerning the history of the coins. This is an excellent reference book on tokens as well as the decimal series.

Coins of Canada provides much historical grading, and price information. Its greatest asset however is the range of coverage from colonial tokens to decimal coinage and currency.

This book contains beautiful poetry. The toughts the author embelishes are very tangible, real and heartfelt.

It is great to share in conversation with others and invokes wonderful images from memories long forgotten.

God Bless C.T. Putnam for putting his experiences in the Coins of Dawn for us to read.

Coins of Dawn

Professor Grierson's works are always welcome additions to every numismatist's library and this one is no exception. This book is a beautifully illustrated and clearly narrated overview of medieval European coinage. It traces the development of the various coinages and their inter-relationship with one another in a compelling and engaging manner. Highly recommended as the introductory reference work for aspiring medieval coinage collectors.

This is probably the first book ever to have color plates of coins... and in vivid detail. All aspects of Pilate's life are studied here, including the controversy over his coins appearing on the TURIN SHROUD!