Allen G. Berman is an internationally recognized expert on rare coins, having several books and numerous articles to his credit. He has been cited as an expert by The Celator, Coins, Numismatic Literary Guild Journal, World Coin News, and The New York Times. His opinion on topics ranging from early U.S. Silver dollars to coins of the new post Soviet republics is frequently sought by numismatic periodicals.
Berman's most recent book has been an absolute success. While Warman's Coins and Paper Money, a volume of the Warman's Encyclopedia of Antiques and Collectibles, was originally conceived as an introduction for the curious layman, it has received praise throughout the numismatic community as well. The book, now in its fourth edition, has even received the recommendation of the American Numismatic Association which has called it "remarkable."
His earlier works include Papal Coins, an international standard on the subject, and Papal Numismatic History. Berman is the editor of Coins of the Crusader States, the first comprehensive work of its kind in over a century. He collaborated on Medieval Coins in the Christian J. Thomsen Collection, a work prepared under the approval of the Danish National Museum. Berman's works have been favorably reviewed in Germany, Great Britain, Denmark and Switzerland, as well as in North America. He is also a contributor to the mammoth Standard Catalog of World Coins, and other standard references.
Berman's beginnings in coin collecting trace back to his childhood hobby, but the study of coins soon became a key focus in his life. As an undergraduate he was given the opportunity to work directly with the American Numismatic Society's medieval collections, recataloging a portion of its holdings. At present he serves on the Society's Committee on medieval coins. He completed his master's thesis on medieval Papal coins in 1986. Berman has presented lectures to groups as diverse as the Cub Scouts and MENSA. In 1997 he was appointed an instructor for the American Numismatic Association Summer Conference, creating a course on medieval coins attended by numismatists from both the United States and overseas. His role as a professional numismatist has taken him on travels throughout the North America and Europe.
In addition to writing, Berman is a rare coin dealer with an international clientele. Since 1981, he has routinely been called upon to appraise and identify coins for other numismatic firms, auction houses and banks. Krause Publications, the world's largest publisher of world coin books and periodicals, has many times awarded him their Customer Service Award. He has repeatedly provided expert testimony before Senate and House committees at the Connecticut state capitol. Berman is a member of the American Numismatic Association, American Numismatic Society, Numismatic Literary Guild, Russian Numismatic Society, Florida United Numismatists, Bermanian Guild of Numismatists, and served as Secretary of the Fairfield County Numismatic Association from 1987 to 2001.
