Book Description

This catalogue of The McGill University Collection of Greek and Roman Coins brings together reprints of three volumes. The Roman catalogue of Volume I is by D.H.E. Whitehead (1975). Volume I also contains a Roman Supplement by Vivien Law and a short history of the collection by John Sullivan. Volume II (1975), by Prof. Shlosser, lists the gold and silver ancient Greek coins. The third and last volume (1984), also by Prof. Shlosser, contains the ancient Greek (including Judean and Indian) bronze coins and the Greek Imperials. Some silver coins are present. In Volume III are a Supplement by Louise Cass-Conrad of the Roman coins not in Volume I and Corrigenda to Volumes I and II. The volumes are richly illustrated with plates. The published collection consists of 1,763 coins, almost equally divided between Greek and Roman. This combined catalogue is unusual because so few university coin collections have ever been fully catalogued and published and is outstanding on account of its diversity. One may say that nearly all time periods and mints are represented. Study of the catalogue will be repaid with knowledge of examples of most kinds of ancient Greek and Roman coinage. The McGill Collection will be of interest to numismatists, including collectors, dealers and museum curators, as well as to historians of the ancient world.