Medieval European Coinage: Volume 1, The Early Middle Ages (5th-10th Centuries) [Hardcover]

Philip Grierson (Author), Mark Blackburn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 30, 1987 | ISBN-10: 0521260094 | ISBN-13: 978-0521260091

This, the first volume of Medieval European Coinage, surveys the coinage of Western Europe from the fall of the Roman Empire in the West in the fifth century to the emergence of recognizable 'national' political units in the tenth. It starts with the Vandals, Visigoths, Burgundians and other Germanic invaders of the Empire, whose coins were modelled on contemporary issues of the Western or Eastern emperors. The coinage of the Franks is followed from early Merovingian times through to the establishment and subsequent fragmentation of the Carolingian empire. Italy is represented by the coinages of the Ostrogoths, Lombards, Carolingians and popes down to the Ottoman conquest in the mid-tenth century. The coinage of the Anglo-Saxons is traced from the introduction of minting in the early seventh century to the emergence of a united kingdom during the first half of the tenth century, including the aberrant coinages of Northumbria and the Anglo-Viking coinages of the Danelaw.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...remarkable monument to scholarship...intriguing observations...a breathtaking work." Andre Gunder Frank, The International History Review --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Book Description

This, the first volume of Medieval European Coinage, surveys the coinage of Western Europe from the fall of the Roman Empire in the West in the fifth century to the emergence of recognizable 'national' political units in the tenth.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 700 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (January 30, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521260094
• ISBN-13: 978-0521260091
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.7 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,616,820 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars WELL RESEARCHED, BUT FAILS IN THE PRINTING, September 1, 2010

By 

Foz405 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Medieval European Coinage: With a Catalogue of the Coins in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, Vol 14, Italy (III) (South Italy, Sicily, Sardinia) (Hardcover)

I am referring to the paperback, but some features are common. This book is pitched at the scholar and numismatist, and as such I would have expected the book to be printed with decent margins, especially the spine margins. They are too narrow and with constant use the book will split, and because they are too narrow, rebinding will be difficult. The illustrations are particularly poor, especially when they are compared to Grierson's other work, European Medieval Coinage published by Seaby. I would expect not only some colour, but them to be of the same quality as every auction house employs these days. After all, the novice likes to see well presented and informative work too. I am pleased that they did not use clay-filled paper like art books so that it will at least last some time without the weight of itself causing collapse.
All in all, quite disappointing for the price.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I wish it had color picture plates, November 26, 2008

By 

Bradley J. Hennemuth "BradJH" (Boston USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Medieval European Coinage: Volume 1, The Early Middle Ages (5th-10th Centuries) (Paperback)

Note: Haven't read too much yet, but appears to have a lot of history and be very well researched. I really hope they continue this series and would strongly recommend they use color plates for the coin pictures.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A bargain price for a great reference, April 21, 2008

By 

Orbman - See all my reviews

This review is from: Medieval European Coinage: Volume 1, The Early Middle Ages (5th-10th Centuries) (Paperback)

In my book, "Astronomical Symbols on Ancient and Medieval Coins", I devote a number of chapters in the book to the astronomical symbols that were depicted on medieval European coinage as signs of divine right to sovereignty. As part of my research, I read numerous books on medieval European numismatics and history, and I found that Grierson's book, "MEC Volume I," was especially useful.

It is extremely difficult to find so many coins of the first half of the middle ages described in a single volume. There are many, many plates of photographs of coins, and also some plates showing forgeries.

This book was originally published as a hard back with a list price of $125, but was soon sold out and was going for almost $200 on secondary markets. I sold my first copy to a friend, and then found out how expensive it was to buy this book for a second time. Now that it is available as a paperback, the cost is once again more reasonable for obtaining a copy.

I highly recommend this book to all who are interested in European numismatic history.

Marshall Faintich