The E-Sylum:  Volume 8, Number 36, August 21, 2005, Article 20

NOTES ON VIVA LA REVOLUCION!

Recently we discussed the new !Viva la Revolucion! book
based on an American Numismatic Association exhibit.
Gar Travis writes: "The book was on sale at the ANA booth
in San Francisco. Don Bailey was also at the show and
someone may have been able to get a signed copy. "

One reader questioned whether the coins illustrated were the
actual pieces in the exhibit. Ralf W. Böpple adds: "All the
coin photos are the same size. I do not know the reason
behind this decision, but I suppose this was done because
the main purpose of the exhibit, and thus of the catalog, is to
show the different types and designs of the necessity money
that was used during this period. For the smaller coins, this
certainly is a plus, but I consider it very unfortunate that the
larger coins have been reduced in size. This is a point for
criticism.

I find the images of the coins of quite good quality. One
should always remember that many of the coins were made
in base metals, with crude designs and poor quality of the
strike. I am no expert in coin photography, but I assume a
color picture of a dark, crudely made copper coin is a
considerable challenge! Many standard references in the
field, such as Leslie & Stevens' study of the coinage of
Emiliano Zapata or Woodward / Flores on Oaxaca, use
line drawings instead of photographs to depict the die
varieties and facilitate their identification.

More than anything, one should not expect this catalog to
be the much-needed standard reference for the series, an
updated Guthrie/Bothamley, so to say. It was not the
purpose of the exhibit to present each and every known
type and variety, and so the catalog doesn't do it either.
This can most clearly be seen in the fact that it does not
include the 60 pesos gold coin of Oaxaca, which could be
considered the 'king' of the series, at least by looking at
recent auction results. As I said, this book is a primer on
RevMex coinage, but the specialized collector will have to
continue waiting for an updated standard reference. Let's
hope Joe Flores is making good progress there!"

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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