“A book such as this edition of the Catalog of Modern World Coins demonstrates, as few other things do, the international nature of coin collecting,” writes Friedberg. “Traditionally, most collectors concentrate on the coins of their home country, and it was often thought to be a rare and adventurous breed that would turn their backs on the relatively simple and familiar and instead devote their attention to the strange and unknown, which often could not be read, much less understood.

That began to change in the middle of the 20th century when the legendary American numismatic author Richard S. Yeo (Yeoman) revolutionized the collecting of world coins as Whitman Publishing released the first edition of Modern World Coins. This was the first time that, on a large scale and at an affordable price, the average collector could handily identify and value the world's most commonly collected coins—those of the late 19th and 20th centuries.

The Yeoman numbering system remains one of the most logical ever devised for coins. By arranging the coins chronologically by their type, Yeoman was able to illustrate nearly all of them in an efficient and inexpensive format. An entire generation of collectors learned to collect by ‘Y numbers,' as dealers and auctioneers made them part of their sales lists and catalogs.

Until 1984, Modern World Coins was sold primarily in the United States, with a substantial number of books also going to Europe. A relatively modest number found their way to Japan and to the rest of Asia. By that time Richard Yeoman had retired from active numismatics and I undertook the revision of the book for its 13th edition.

Much as Yeoman did in the United States, the collecting of world coins in Japan was largely created by Masamichi Oka. I had already known and done business with Mr. Oka and his firm, Taisei Stamps and Coins, for years. He was one of the major contributors to the standard reference book, Gold Coins of the World, as well as to the new edition of Modern World Coins. The revolution he created in Japanese coin collecting was extraordinary and went in directions that Yeoman could never have envisioned in the United States.

He traveled the world making as many contacts as he could with dealers, banks, and mints. Taisei became the first to introduce and actively mass-market world coins to the Japanese public. What Oka did, which was revolutionary at the time, was to have Taisei sell not only coins—the company sold complete coin programs, highlighted by the Olympics and including many others. And Taisei did not just sell them to established collectors through the famous Taisei Monthly, but also through major department stores and within the banking system. Before long, Japan was one of the most active and exciting coin markets in the world.

Such was Masamichi Oka's vision that, in the days before email and instant communication, I still recall the day I received a letter from him proposing a Japanese edition of Modern World Coins. It did not take long for us to agree and I am proud to say that while I have hundreds of coin books in my office library, the copies of this and the companion Current Coins of the World which he inscribed to me in recognition of the work we did together are among the very few numismatic publications I keep in my home.

With the publication of the 14th edition of Modern World Coins, nothing would make Masamichi Oka prouder than to see the success his son Masahiro has had at Taisei's helm, not only in continuing the successful marketing of world coins, but also in bringing this new Japanese-language edition to fruition. As you go through the pages that follow I hope you consider this book a tribute to both of them and to a legendary numismatic family.”