The K&F BCD Numismatic Literature auction is ending tomorrow (bid.numislit.com). For those of you who don't know, BCD put together the most impressive private library on ancient Greek coins in the world, and they are auctioning off the library through Kolbe & Fanning.
I wanted to take the time to make one last educational post about the collection by highlighting one of the unique elements of the library: the BCD binding.
"Among the more distinctive aspects of the BCD Library are the bindings. The collector wished both to preserve the books in his library and provide them with the dignity of better bindings than usually encountered. To that end, he had many of the books in his library bound in leather: usually tan quarter leather (spine only) or half leather (spine and corners), but sometimes in full leather. Given that the library was formed over the course of several decades, a few different binders were used. Dionysis Valassis was one of the first binders used by BCD, and he is responsible for many of the more unusual and distinctive bindings, including those that incorporate ancient coins in them (lots 348 and 387). In more recent years, Marianna Koilakou executed a number of BCD bindings. Use by visitors to the library has left their mark on some of the volumes, particularly those in Valassis bindings, which were executed using untreated leather. But the tan leather bindings have become a trademark of the BCD Library, and they bring pleasant memories to mind for many scholars who consulted the BCD Library over the years."
-David Fanning
You can find copies of some of these works elsewhere or online in many cases, but if you own a work in a BCD binding you truly own a unique piece of ancient numismatic history.
Some examples of the binding:
*** Moved by Staff moved to a more appropriate forum. ***
Posted 02/16/2024 11:54 am
