Please Help Get Me Into Collecting Ancients!

Libraries and local bookstores are probably most likely to have some of the six volume series by Wayne Sayles. These were sold in the mass market rather than through specialty coin publishers. I do recommend the Sayles books but warn that they are not catalogs so they will do nothing for those of you who live for attaching catalog numbers to coins. They are, however, good for understanding what ancient coins are and why you might like to collect them.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...sayles+coins

Just checked the library at the university and it looks like numismatics isn't as popular as it once was. The most modern book I could find was a 1995 reprint of david sears ancient greek coins and their values.

There seems to be several books around the 1970's by Seaby. Is anyone familiar with him? I'm looking for a book with information rather than value so having outdated values doesn't bother me.

If you guys think a slightly older book such as this will still be accurate enough then id rather go for that and pay nothing for the time being, although I would like to have my own books later.

I invested $140 on a reprint of Sear's double volume of Greek Coins and Their Values less than a month ago. (total 1080 pages). They replaced my 1966 very slim single volume Seaby's Greek Coins and Their Values.(218 pages 8 plates)

OK, so the prices may be way out. Not a bother, if you read Sear's books in conjunction with the 'VCOINS' site, which has current coins for sale.