Customer Reviews

Guide to Biblical Coins, 4th Edition

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The understated title belies the magical content of an unusual book! Mr Hendin's "Guide" offers a variety of tours through the mystery,history and meaning of the Holy Land from 700 B.C. through the period of the New Testament. Depending on one's mood and interest,the book may be read in a variety of ways. I enjoyed reading it from beginning to end as a history book which connects Biblical stories to surviving actual concrete objects ( over 550 Biblical coin types),and reveals validating and sometimes novel information about the times. The "Guide" takes us through the history of ancient Israel from the Persian Period,the Maccabees, Herod the Great, Roman Procurators, First Revolt, Bar Kochba Revolt,Roman Judea Capta issues,City Coins,and coins of Jesus and Paul. Kings,heros,religious symbols,military events come alive in descriptive text directly drawn from rigorous academic sources. The material is engaging to the neophyte,but is also useful and credible for the serious numismatist,or academic who wants an introduction and references to specific topics. The book may also be read intermittently,as one shares different archaeological and treasure hunting adventures with an old "Israel Hand". As a marvelous story teller,David Hendin draws us in,detailing numerous encounters with a cast of characters in the antiquities market of the Old City of Jerusalem. He has a lifetime of personal relatiohnships with interesting archaeologists,famous numismatic scholars,antiquities dealers and takes us into conversations with Arab villagers whose hunt for treasures with metal detectors,often unearthing new coin types. His anecdotes are engaging and the reader will enjoy David's special connection to denizens of the Old City. Even as the coins reveal history,they connect one's imagination directly to ancient mysteries. Who was Eliezer the Priest, noted on a Bar Kokhba denarius? Who actually were the personages named on the very early coins of Judea and Samaria? Was it really the wall of Jerusalem on the Coin of Mazeus? What was Jesus view of the money of his time? The author tells us what is known and tries to separate fact from legend, often referring to Talmudic, as well as Christian sources.

For the serious collector ,the "Guide" will become an indispensable,standard reference with over 500 Coins catalogued. "Hendin Numbers" are now ,often used as the common referent for auctions and coin catalogs. His pricing of coins in two grades accurately reflects current market values and the novice may be pleased to see that many of these very ancient cons are surprisingly affordable. I conclude by emphasizing that this is a NEW book and adds information (not in prior editions) about the history of Alexander the Great,Seleucids,Ptolemies in ancient Israel,early Maccabean hitory, the extended family of Herod the Great, and New Testament Coins. There are 25,000 words of new text and 512 pages, up from 384 in Edition 3. The book's paper,plates and binding are notably superior in Edition Four. The line drawings and photos are also more sharp. The book is a fascinating read for anyone interested in Biblical history and antiquities. I recommend it highly.

David Hendin's 4th edition of a Guide to Biblical Coins is a must for any collector of Jewish or Biblical coins. Covering coinage from the Persian occupation through the New Testament, this book should be in the libraries of all beginning to advanced collectors. However, this book should not just be limited to those with an interest in numismatics. Hendin's book is a fascinating reference for students of History and the Holy Land as well. Even those new to the world of ancient coins will find this book easy to navigate. It is presented in an easy to read format, and Mr Hendin's accessible style of writing makes for great reading that informs without being dragged down in minutia. Anyone who has traveled will appreciate his stories of backroom dealings in the Arab markets of Jerusalem, and will empathize with tales of amazing coins that slipped away and fake coins that didn't.

For those who own have used the 3rd edition of his book, they will be pleasantly surprised to find that Mr. Hendin has kept the same numbering system for Biblical coinage, despite the addition of new coins. The use of both outstanding photographic coin plates and drawings of coins aids all collectors in attribution and identification of pertinent coinage. Students of the new testament will be pleased to see numerous pages of new text devoted to such subjects as the travels of Paul and the extended family of Herod.

In short, Guide to Biblical Coins is the best reference available for Biblical coinage. However, this book can also be highly recommended to anyone interested in the history of this period. Those who have the 3rd edition will not be disappointed with the chance to upgrade to the new super-charged edition of Biblical Coinage.

David Hendin makes not only great standard references, but includes many wonderful anecdotes about his experiences as a collector. The chapters are well divided, and there are plenty of plates and line drawings. A must for the Biblical coin collector, and makes for an interesting read even for the non-collector.

Few people have the resources to own ancient art unless it's in the form of coinage.

Likewise, few people have the ability to assemble their museum of bible history again unless it's in the form of coin ownership.

In this book you will discover that you can come to own the following coins all for less (sometimes significantly so) than $100 a piece:

1) Coinage from the time of the creation of the Second Temple. Minted under the Persians and later the Greeks these small silver coins are known as Yehuds for the use of the Hebrew letters for Y H and D on the coinage minted to denote its use in the Judah or Yehud district of those empires;

2) Coinage from Hasmonean reigns. Referred to as "Widow's Mites" in the New Testament, these coins overwhelmingly minted during the reign of Alexander Jannaeus (103 to 76 BCE) and remained in common circulation for over two hundred years...well through the New Testament era;

3) Coinage from Pontius Pilate. In the years 29 and 31 Pilate minted two different varieties of small bronze coins. They have obvious value today for their connection with the events mentioned in the New Testament.

4) Coinage from the First and Second Jewish Revolts. Just as today, the Holy Land in the first century was a hotbed of action and political turmoil. The two most prominent manifestations of that turmoil were during the years 66 CE and 73 CE (during the First Jewish Revolt) and during the years 132 ant 135 CE (during the Second Jewish Revolt). In each case, it took the full weight of the Roman military to restore Roman control.

In this great book, Hendin also describes other coinage issued from the ancient Holy Land and shows copius pictures so that you can at least view the coins that may exceed your purchasing power.

I first read this book as more or less a total newcomer to the world of ancient Jewish coins. The stories of Hendin's introduction to the subject and his experiences in the world of ancient coin dealers are fascinating. The historical information presented in each chapter is informative, reliable, and will be appreciated by anyone with even a passing interest in the history of ancient Israel. Of course, the real reason for owning this book is that it is an indispensable and authoritative general reference on ancient biblical coins, and probably for the library of anyone interested in collecting or studying them. If there is one minor improvement that I might wish for in a future edition it would be to update the photographs of the coins with higher resolution images, preferably in color. Still, even in black and white the book is worth every penny.

Having collected ancient coins, mostly Judaean (and related Greek and Roman) for over twenty years, I use this reference more than all others combined. My collection is organized by "Hendin number".

I would recommend that any potential collector buy and read this book BEFORE buying their first coin!

Aside from its value as a reference, the stories alone are worth the price of admission.

The Guide to Biblical Coins 4th Edition by David Hendin is an extraordinary treasure-house that is well worth the price of admission. For each of at least several categories of reader, it is a necessary book that the reader will not be able to put down: (a) beginning and intermediate collectors of Biblical coins, (b) scholars, archaeologists and advanced Biblical numismatists, (c) all those Jews and Christians interested in the origins of their religion and (d) all those people interested in the ancient history of the Southern Levant. It is not often that one book can do so many things for so many different people. But, David Hendin pulls it off with an unusaual combination of knowledge, insight, personal anecdotes and the ability to teach without lecturing. I have each of his earlier editions and almost any ohter volume one would want in the same and related fields of numismatics, archaeology, history and religion, but this is the book that I turn to first time and again for ease of reference and ease of understanding. It is amazing just how much information is packed into one volume. Far more than even David's earlier editions. Each rereading is rewarding. If ever a book could make the history of an age come alive, this is the book. If there were a ten star rating, it would apply to the 4th Edition.

This guide , to my mind is the creme de la creme of guides to Biblical coins.The scope of the learning is breathtaking and I feel a bit humble
to own such a useful book