S&S LIBRARY CONTINUES DIGITIZATION

 

S&S Library Continues Digitization

The S&S numismatic library, privately held in Chicago, launched a digitization effort in 2023 that now numbers over 2,000 scanned volumes. This library specializes in ancient numismatics but also includes important works related to medieval and modern numismatics. Recently scanned is the multi-volume set Recueil De Médailles (1762-1778, twelve parts in nine volumes), a catalog of the Jospeh Pellerin (1684-1782) collection. The bibliographer Bill Daehn gives Pellerin the credit for being "the first to classify Greek coins in geographical order, rather than alphabetical order."

Wikipedia describes the formation and dispersal of Pellerin's collection: "Tradition has it that he encouraged the sailors of the French Mediterranean Fleet to buy up such ancient coins as they found on offer throughout their range, which he guaranteed to buy back from them at double the purchase price. In this way he gradually accumulated what became the largest and most valuable collection of ancient Greek coins ever to be held in private hands to that date, amounting to 33,500 coins which he ultimately sold to Louis XVI in 1776 for £300,000. This notable collection, housed in massive original marquetry and ormolu cases in the Louis Quinze style, still forms a nucleus of the collection of the Bibliothèque Nationale [BN] de France." Today, the SNG catalogs documenting the BN numismatic collection describe numerous examples with the Pellerin pedigree.

Image: Plate IX from volume 1 of the Joseph Pellerin reference

Link to Pellerin Recueil De Médailles set from the S&S Library:
https://archive.org/details/snslibrary?tab=collection&query=pellerin

Link to S&S Library digitization announcement (September 24, 2023):
https://www.coinbooks.org/v26/esylum_v26n39a09.html

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