PREV ARTICLE
NEXT ARTICLE
FULL ISSUE
PREV FULL ISSUE
NEW BOOK: OVERSTRUCK GREEK COINS BY DAVID MACDONALD
Dennis Tucker forwarded this information about the latest title from Whitman Publications.
-Editor
Overstruck Greek Coins is intended for serious collectors of ancient coins, but it is intriguing enough to appeal to general collectors and historians. It is the first book-length study to explain how Greek coins were overstruck, when they were overstruck, and why they were overstruck. Its revelations offer new understanding to students of ancient history. "The sophistication of ancient cultures in monetary terms was revealed to me by this remarkable volume," said Harlan J. Berk, author of 100 Greatest Ancient Coins, who wrote the book’s foreword. Overstruck coins are those that have been "recoined" by striking them with new and different dies, without first having the original design completely removed. In ancient times, this was done for various reasons: to certify the coins’ quality; to encourage their circulation in a faraway land; to restrict their export and keep them in local economies; to validate them for mercenary soldiers’ pay; to raise revenue; to avoid mandated recoining fees; or to make a political or patriotic statement.
MacDonald’s engaging study includes more than 300 high-resolution photographs and line drawings showing overstruck coins and their undertypes; an appendix on previously published Mesambrian overstrikes; a gallery of actual sizes; detailed notes; and an extensive bibliography of pertinent books and auction catalogs. The author explores the regions of Gaul and Italy, Sicily, Bosporus, Macedonia, Thrace, Greece, Anatolia, Syria, Judaea, North Africa, and Indo-Greece, along with a study of several enigmatic pieces.
Overstruck Greek Coins: Studies in Greek Chronology and Monetary Theory
I haven't seen the book yet, but I'm looking forward to it. I was familiar with overstruck coinage, but hadn't been aware of overstruck ancients. This is an interesting topic. It will be equally interesting to see how well the title sells (very well, I hope).
Whitman Publishing focuses on popular titles, and a work with an academic-sounding subtitle (Studies in Greek Chronology and Monetary Theory) is unusual for them. But hooray! I hope this portends a wider range of titles in the company's high quality, affordably-priced line. -Editor Wayne Homren, Editor The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org. To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com To subscribe go to: https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum All Rights Reserved. NBS Home Page Contact the NBS webmaster 
|
"Overstrikes have been recognized since the early days of numismatics, but the attention paid to them was, for a long time, sporadic and uneven," writes award-winning author David MacDonald. "The study of overstrikes has now become a standard part of numismatic methodology."