Customer Reviews

Handbook of Roman Imperial Coins: A Complete Guide to the History, Types and Values of Roman Imperial Coinage

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This is an extremely good book for the turf it covers. While not exhaustive it covers most types of all denominations of the regular imperial coinage of Rome from Julius Caesar to Anastasius. It does not cover the provincial coins of the Roman empire, nor the Republican or Imperatorial periods, but for the regular gold, silver and base metal coinage of Rome it is hard to beat.

The book is divided into 2 sections, the first 58 pages are introductory material including a general introduction, denominations, how the coins were used, design types, a lexicon of common inscriptions, a dating guide and a grading and value guide. The grading guide is very helpful but the value guide is separated into "value bands" which is just 6 levels of rarity. In other words, unlike the works of David Sear who gave almost every coin in his guides a monetary value rated according to British Pounds ( £ ) and later American Dollars ( $ ) as well in his latest work, each coin is rated to be a VB1, VB2, etc., up to VB6. The higher the value band is, the more rare and expensive the coin is supposed to be.

The 2nd part is a chronological guide that gives a short history of each emperor and his family where applicable and some times other notes, such as on mints. That is followed by a list of normal obverse legends which are abbreviated as ol/1, ol/2, etc. Next the coins are listed in the order of them being gold, silver, then bronze or base metals. Shared portraits and posthumous issues and family members are put at the end of each ruler. All coins are described individually by reverse type with a quick "ol/1, ol/2, etc. included somewhere in the body of the paragraph of the of the reverse description to inform the user which obverse type it is matched with.

The book's advantages are it's price, scope, ease of usage, good illustrations and comprehensiveness. It's drawback is it's numbering system and value band system. You can have theoretically an ol/1, rev/1 of any given emperor. All that said, it is still a great reference and it does cover ground here and there where Sear is silent. In other words, the collector who has had a hard time finding everything using Sear's guide will be pleased to find an affordable guide in this book that fills in some of those gaps for attributing the balance of his or her collection. The two used in tandem should prove very satisfying for the collector of regular Roman imperial coins. I highly recommend this book for the beginning collector and also to the advanced collector who has exhausted David Sear's guide but still finds RIC ( Roman Imperial Coinage ) to expensive at this point in time for his library budget. For the bulk bronze collector or collector of budget Roman antoninianii and denarii, this book could prove to be one of the best books they could possibly buy. Mr. VanMeter should be commended for this work.

This is the essential collector's handbook for identifying Roman Imperial coins. This book is both more comprehensive and laid out better than the venerable Sear reference. Large format, logically organized, and chronologically set up, it is THE reference if one is to own a single volume work. In addition to the thousands of coins listed, brief histories of the emperors are explored, as well as the history of the Roman coinage system. Mint marks, explanations of illustrated persona, methods of minting, and inscriptions round out this valuable tool.

Good for beginners and very useful for experienced collectors to consult , I would also add that it is very easy to date coins using this book ,this fact adds even more interest and motive to collect roman coins. Also this handbook also gives tips for coins which were issued in special occasions such as visits to provinces by emperor or victories in campaigns or famous buildings build by emperors etc.

I'm new to ancient Roman coins. I had read that Van Meter was a good investment for the beginner and this was absolutely correct. The book is very well laid out and written in a nice, accessible style. It's introductory chapters gather together lots of information related to coins and the history of their production etc - some bits you might see elsewhere if you are trawling the Web but it's better having it laid out in one place and written by a recognised authority.

The actual guide to coin types is very well laid out and easily used by the novice (like me). It gives a vast range of coin types and seem to be very comprehensive. My guess is that you will struggle to find many significant coins not mentioned. It also covers the full historical timeline that most collectors would find interesting. The guide is content-rich and is 'educational' in itself.

Overall, I thought this was money very well spent. I have the paperback version which seems robust and well produced. I expect to be using this a lot. I would recommend this to anybody just getting into Roman coins or already involved in the hobby who has missed this book.

Excellent and informative book , its quite exhaustive and full of useful points about Roman Coins.

Roman Imperial Coins or RIC brings clarity to the often overwhelming study of Ancient roman coins. In one volume, it offers a broad overview that is essential to the beginning collector. Black and white photographs abound and many common examples of coins are illustrated. RIC lends itself to study, and I'm sure my copy will soon be filled with notes about coins I own or want to possess. My one disappointment is David Van Meter's value system which uses letter codes to represent large price ranges such as VB1= $1-$100, VB2=$101-$300 etc. These ranges are based on variations in condition, but it would have been simpler for the collector if he had stated more specific prices for the average coin of that type. All in all, I highly recommend this book.

As a beginner in the world of collecting Roman Coins, I find this work to be generically help full in the area of attributing particular specimens. Regarding the historical aspect, I think it is excellent. Much historical detail is given the Leaders of the time as well as the coin making infrastructure process.

The item was delivered in a timely manner. The condition of the used book was excellent-It looked like it had not been used at all. Good overall shopping experience!