A pdf pages 1-53

[Chris Perkins]

If you want to, you can download this pdf file of the work so far on Collectors' Roman base metal 2005:

http://www.rotographic.co.uk/books/Roman1-53.pdf

It's about 2mb in size.

I was thinking about a title too....For those that aren't aware, the book will give market values for all base metal Roman coins (or at least most of them). it was last printed in 2000 and is called "Collectors Roman Coins Part 1" with the sub title "base metal coins and their value".

For the updated version I thought perhaps simply "A Price guide to Roman Base metal Coins". It also has to be quite different to "Roman coins and their values" By D Sear.....And most importantly, I wanted the title to actually suggest what the book contains, instead of all this "Collectors'.." nonsense.

And the book on silver Roman coins (I haven't started it yet) can simply be "A Price guide to Roman Silver Coins".

What do you think? And you're welcome to go typo spotting in the PDF.

[Sylvester]

I had a quick look, but the acrobat reader slows my computer to a crawl and i'm not patient enough to wait for all the pages to download, so i only saw the first two or three.

Looks pretty decent, i'll have to have a better look when i'm at Uni where there's a decent connection.

Could you convert a few select pages of the Early Milled book to pdf, just so we can have a look at how the tabular format works layed out? If it's clear enough...

[Unknown]

Interesting, but if you have a slow connection, I would not recommend it...

Looking forward to the complete updated version

[Geordie582]

I've downloaded and printed the book and think it would be a great general reference for the Roman collector. I've already refered to it for ascribing coins, so far just to confirm the original assessment. Worthwhile I'd say.

There may be many more out there in 'predecimal land' than you think!

When do you think the next chapter will be ready??

Edited November 19, 2004 by Geordie582

[Chris Perkins]

Damn, I'd left this forum wide open so the whole world could see it! That wasn't the intention at all.

Geordie and Juan (Unknown) I've moved you up to be part of the 'Numismatic Research group', so now you can see this area (and another) and have full rights to post in it. There are only a few select members in here because this info is not really for the public.

So Geordie......printing it out is fine, but don't go photocopying it for your mates (as if that wasn't obvious)

This book should be around 75 - 80 pages long, so at p53 I'm already a considerable way through. The images are fiddly, but not nearly as hard at soucing all new ones like with CC2005.

I hope to have the book proofread, with a fancy cover and printed in January. Then hopefully the Silver coin version a few months after that.

[Geordie582]

Sorry Chris! Unintentional I assure you. I am in splendid isolation here so will not copy to anyone. I suggest that a suitable scale be added, something missing from all numismatic books I've seen. Useful in research of earlier hammered/roman/byzantine coins that do vary and reproduction, on computer and print, is rarely accurate! I did try to download a pic but site constraints prevented this!

[Chris Perkins]

What do you mean by a scale Geordie?

[Geordie582]

I'm using a small segment of ruler included in the photograph. In centimetres of course, to satisfy the EU! But this does not have to be for each coin, as I intend to use. It could quite as well just be across the bottom of each page (using "header & footer" facility!)

[Chris Perkins]

Oh I see. The thing is, ancient coins tend to be so irregular in shape and size do you really think a scale would be any use? The images are shown as close as possible to actual size, but the real ones were rarely perfectly round of course. I suppose it would be useful for readers to measure their own coins against.

[Geordie582]

I think that when you get around to the minimi it will be difficult to show them actual size!

I always size my coins using the 'largest diameter' principal.

For example, I've just identified one at 8mm diameter. The inscriptions can only be read with the aid of a magnifier!

Edited November 20, 2004 by Geordie582

[Sylvester]

I'm using a small segment of ruler included in the photograph. In centimetres of course, to satisfy the EU! But this does not have to be for each coin, as I intend to use. It could quite as well just be across the bottom of each page (using "header & footer" facility!)

I'd purposely do it in inches then to cause a stir.

[Geordie582]

I notice that part 2 is going to cover silver coins. Is there any plan to carry on with the base metal series of part 1 up to the collapse of the empire(s)?

[Chris Perkins]

Yes, part 2 will be for silver coins (although the titles of these new versions will probably loose the 'part 1/2' thing).

Both of them will go up to about 518 AD when Anastasius reformed the coinage and the Byzantine era 'officially' begun.

I'm up to page 62 now on the Base metal version, probably only about another 15 pages and it'll be finished!

[Geordie582]

When it's done, you have a customer here!!!

[Chris Perkins]

Super, thanks. There is already a little interest in it, generated from the website and the people that have the first edition. They're good basic books with a lot of info squeezed in for the price and size.

[Geordie582]

on second thoughts, Chris, a scale wouldn't work. I print my collection photographs in book form, and I've found the end result of so many scales is confusing, especially going from crown size to minimi. Just a thought!

[Chris Perkins]

Yes, but surely a little ruler like drawing on each page simply denominated up to say 40mm so that you can use it to measure your coins might be of some use. The book doesn't mention sizes of weights. What do you think?

[Geordie582]

The best example of scale I have come across is this oneScale Used

Hope this helps!

[Geordie582]

You'll notice that the scales are not true size. I add this 'nummi or minimmi' as showing that to represent it true size would make reproduction difficult, at less than 10mm.

[Geordie582]

Any forecast for publication yet, Chris? My money is burning a hole in my pocket!!

[Chris Perkins]

You're more than welcome to send it to me. The book will be £5.95 like the last, and a CD of the author approved version is on its way to the Proofreader. I have penciled in publication for Feb 5th, to give plenty of time to get a nice cover done.

[Geordie582]

I look forward to it. Smiths, do you think???