Customer Reviews

Roman Coins and Their Values

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David Sear is probably the best known living authority on ancient coins, especially Roman coins. If a collector only owned one book on Roman coins, this would be the one. However, the values reported in his book for coins (supposedly those that grade approximately "Very Fine") only roughly correlate with market prices. Coin dealers often like to quote prices from Sear's book, especially if the book price exceeds the normal market value.

For how much the name "Sear" comes up in connection to ancient coins, I had very high expectations for this book. Unfortunately, they weren't quite met.

In the edition that I own (2nd), there are not very many illustrations, except at the end of the book. The rest of the pictures are just drawings of the coins. I do not know if this was remedied in later editions, though I don't think that it was.

Also, the prices (in British Pounds) are given in just one grade of each coin.

Still, one can judge from the prices the relative rarity of the coin. Add that to the fact that this is the book that EVERYONE refers to, that that in itself makes it quite valuable.

A very brief history is given on each emperor or wife. There also are additional histories on certain periods of Roman history (The Tetrarchy of Diocletian, for example), which are both helful and interesting. Equally important is the quick overview of Roman coins found in the beginning of the book.

Sear will cost you a chunk of money, and while quite helpful, it won't answer your every question. Still, if you are collecting Roman coins, you need this book, if for no other reason than that everyone else has it and will quote it.

Though it is impossible to contain all the Roman coins in a single volume, this is the best single book on coins and their approximate values (given in British pounds).

I am not a dealer or professional numismatist. I have no doubt that this book offers good value for the professional, but it is especially important for the general collector of Roman coins. I have all four volumes in Sears' series and have nothing but praise for each of them.

Each volume is introduced by a very useful introduction to the basics of Roman coinage: Mints, denominations, reverse types, inscriptions, and so on. There is a wealth of information here from which even the seasoned collector may benefit.

Each person appearing on the obverse of a coin is given his/her own listing, so you don't have to go looking under Antoninus Pius for listings of Faustina's coins, or under Caracalla for issues of Plautilla and so on.

The historical and biographical background has been expanded from Sears' earlier editions and the number of coin varieties and reverse types has easily been quadrupled compared to the previous editions. The coins are separated by denominations and then arranged alphabetically by reverse types, so coin attribution is made very easy. They are not sorted by mint, unlike RIC, and this fact alone makes Sear's system far easier to use. The vast majority of coins a typical collector might acquire is represented in these catalogs. Even the large, multi-volume catalogs such as the monumental RIC cannot list everything.

Cross references are made to other standard works, such as RIC (Roman Imperial Coins), the BMCRE (British Museum Collection, Roman Empire), RSC (Roman Silver Coins--which uses Cohen numbers) and Hill. Unlike RIC or BMC, each coin is given a unique Sear number, from 1-12,432. Thus, there is never any confusion as to which number refers to which coin.

Representative coins are illustrated in actual size by high-quality black and white photographs and sprinkled liberally throughout the listings. About four coin illustrations per page is typical.

Values are given in British Pounds for three grades, which gives one a rough guide to relative price, but no catalog is able to reflect true market prices accurately and this should not be taken as a shortcoming.

In short, Sears' catalogs are the best on the market by far. I have RIC, Van Meter and Vagi, and Sears is the one I return to time and again.

This is a standard reference work. Its value does not lie in its estimations of values, but in the well-chosen range of coins shown and identified, and in its long-time use by scholars and numismatists as a comparative tool (giving the Sear # for coins to identify them is standard practice in the field).

Superb outline of Roman coinage from circa 300 BC to 518 AD. Easy to follow and sufficient depth of subject.

David Sear Must be Roman, This Old Ancient Roman Coin Book is Good if you Have the Time and Intrest. A CLASSIC BOOK OF INFORMATION!!!

Ordered Roman Coins by Sear (Vol II) as a used book / like new. Received the book within days. Looks new to me. Great price. Quick service. Extremely satisfied.

For the serious collector of Roman coins, Mr. Sears' books are a must. The information contained therein is both priceless and timeless. The values may change, but the relative rarity between the issues will always remain the same, barring the discovery of a large hoard.