BOOK REVIEW: JOHN SPRING, ANCIENT COIN AUCTION CATALOGS: 1880-1980
The E-Sylum (11/22/2009)
Book Content
John Spring, Ancient Coin Auction Catalogs: 1880-1980 (2009), self-published, distributed by Spink (but not yet on their website). 369 large pages describing 886 auction catalogs. Charles Davis is selling this for $110 and CNG is selling slightly bumped copies for $95.
It's a nice book! Every catalog is described by size and color. The number of plates — Celtic, Greek, Roman aes grave, Roman Republican, Roman Imperial, Roman Provincial, Byzantine, and "barbarian migration" — is given. There is often information about the collector, collection, or auctioneer. Sometimes that information comes from the catalog, but Spring also seeks biographical information from other published sources such as obituaries in numismatic journals. The photos depict the collector or firm. The catalogs themselves are not pictured.
The author does not judge the paper quality, the method of reproduction of the plates, nor the numismatic merit of the coins.
To read the complete article, see: John Spring, Ancient Coin Auction Catalogs: 1880-1980 (digitalhn.blogspot.com/2009/11/john-spring-ancient-coin-auction.html)
