Mints, Dies and Currency

Book excerpt: The studies assembled in this volume are dedicated to the memory of Albert Baldein, a professional numismatist whose chief interest lay in helping other numismatists, professionals, students and collectors alike, some of whom record their appreciations here. The contributions, though they are drawn from a wide variety of fields - Greek, Roman, Dark Age, Byzantine, English, Scottish, Irish and European medieval coins, and medals - are all concerned with one or more facets of the theme set out in the title. Within the general concept, the essays deal with a diversity of subjects: * identification of mints * attribution of coins to specific mints * coinage current in particular periods * composition of groups of coins in a given series * establishment of the correct sequence of issues of such groups. The essays also demonstrate the use of particular numismatic techniques such as die-linking, the analysis of hoards and their statistics, the minute observation of changes in titulature and inscriptions and comparison of portrait styles. There is much new, exciting and well-illustrated material for numismatists, and chapters such as those on Scottish mints and Hadrian's COS III coins will be of interest to historians.