BOOK REVIEW: ROMANIA TOKENS, TAGS AND CHIPS

As speculated about in the January 12 issue of The E-Sylum, Erwin Schäffer did indeed switch from Romanian/German to Romanian/English between his 2003 and 2012 works. I'll point out that the English is occasionally a touch eccentric, but it is perfectly usable by the English speaker, and is certainly welcome here.

The size of the book has increased from 592 pages, 20cm high, to 462 pages, 29.5cm high. The larger page size allows for a considerable increase in the number of tokens covered per page, so the decrease in page count is deceptive. The 2012 edition also includes a CD-ROM with several auxiliary indices and an additional chapter, "Foreign Tokens Used in Romania."

In all, there is a considerable increase in the included information. As happens so often, the publication of the first catalog in 2003 seems to have been instrumental in shaking loose information about tokens unknown to the author. I've included the first page of the actual token listings, where you'll note that the Restaurantul Gărei gained a 5 Lei token, a color photo (there's a considerable increase in color), and a new numbering system that appears much more amenable to inserting new discoveries.

There are a couple of entirely new chapters noted by the author, including mining and quarry tokens, and the ever important "'Dracula' pieces."

As for me, I'm happy that the section on telephone tokens is up to 12 pages and includes a very nice overview of the history of the associated telephone companies. Of course, there's always something missing, in this case the old photograph of the Bucureşti Palatul Telefoanelor (literally the Telephone Palace, a glorious name for a central office) has been dropped in the 2012 book.

I'd consider this the essential catalog for Romanian tokens, even though, as the author freely admits, it is perpetually a work in progress.

Schäffer, Erwin. Romania: Jetoane, Semne Valorice Şi Mărci / Tokens, Tags and Chips. Bretzfeld, Germany: Self-published, 2012. 462 pp + CD-ROM. 29.5cm [Currently available on www.ebay.com from cartelcoserv, Gabriel Iliescu, but not through normal bookseller channels so far as I know.]

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see: NEW BOOK: ROMANIA TOKENS, TAGS AND CHIPS (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v17n02a06.html)

Wayne Homren, Editor

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