Coincraft's Standard Catalogue of English and UK Coins 1066-Date (2000 Edition)
by: Richard Lobel
Mark Davidson
Allan Hailstone
Eleni Caligas
12" x 8.5" x 1.65" Hardbound 761 pages
First published in 1995 this edition in 1999 by Richard Lobel (Owner of Coincraft)
ISBN 10 # 0-95262-288-2
Starts off with a little history on each of the contributors and acknowledgements of individuals, organizations and auction houses that helped create and price all the listings in this book.
Next is a brief explanation of the Coincraft numbering system, which I found quite easy to understand and quite useful as well. Then the Quick-Index Charts® these are a way to quickly find any coin in the book there are two charts; one for Hammered coinage and another for Milled coinage. They show the ruler down the side and across the top are the denominations, line up what you are looking for and it will list the page number that coin is on. Super useful in a book with tens of thousands of coins listed, (Over 40,000 price updates are mentioned in this edition alone).
The Contents Page follows and then a preface to the fifth edition. Well written and informative to all, covering grading, selecting dealers, auctions, rarity, etc. Then an introduction to coins of England. This is followed by about 20 or so pages of advertising, one more short introduction to coin collecting page and a very well done 20 page glossary. Some common questions are then listed and answered (akin to a modern day FAQ), then on to the main part of the book, the listing of the coins...
Hammered Coinage
Starts off with, you guessed it another introduction, this one specific to hammered coinage by Mark Davidson, followed by a listing of all the mintmarks or privy marks by reign and by date, (including the Milled coinage here) followed by illustrated photos and drawings of the mintmarks, Map of the locations of all the mints through the centuries. Allan Hailstone does the milled coinage introduction.
Finally we get to the listings beginning on page 103, Starting off with a Charles I (1625-1649) A brief history in a paragraph is first, then some "Collecting Hints," I really enjoy these Collecting Hints inter-spaced throughout the book depending on the coin or subject page you are on, they will change from simple things like "These are extremely rare" to very detailed tips about a particular coin, such as striking quality and availability in various grades or things to look out for like counterfeits, excessive wear, problems they often have, etc. Very useful and insightful add to the book's informative nature.
Most coins are photographed showing both obverse and reverse in decent quality for the newsprint paper the book is printed on. Prices are listed but in only some grades, and as an American coin collector the UK grading system is different, I would suggest a through read of the introduction section on grading. Interspersed throughout the listings are also illustrations of certain elements that provide greater detail and help in understanding the various varieties, i.e.: The horseman from Charles I silver halfcrowns (1625-1649) or the busts on Charles I shillings (1625-1642).
Each listing usually has the following:
Title
Obverse Legend
Reverse Legend
Obverse Description
Reverse Description
Followed by a price or two within grades given (only a few for the much older hammered coinage)
As one gets farther along into the book and later in to the dates (primarily the milled issues) there are many more grades listed and pricing to match.
Towards the end of the book there are sections comprising on listing and pricing of all the Proof sets, Specimen Sets, Pattern coins (both hammered and milled), compete mintages where known, a short bibliography, An Index of Engravers and Designers, and a compete conventional Index of the catalogue.
Reading this entire book or at least the sections you are interested in, would give you a decent understanding of the history and monarch/ruler of the particular era or time frame as it applies to coinage. It certainly helped to increase my understanding of English history in a positive way.
I also highly recommend this book to all interested as a low cost introduction to English coinage, the values may not be as good these days as when it was published but not much of the meat of the catalog has changed at all. I purchased my copy from an online source - Half Price Books through Abebook account. It cost me under $15.00 USD to puchase, and it arrived in great condition within the week. Look around for a deal on this older catalogue. I found many out there, along with a few very overpriced sellers as well.
Greg Bennick just filmed an interview with Richard Lobel, the creator of this catalog and the owner of Coincraft coin shop in London, (near by the British Museum). It is well worth watching and is quite entertaining as well, Richard Lobe is quite facinating and has many stories to tell from his wild youth and more than half century in the coin business. It is available to watch for free at the Newman Numismatic Portal and a complete transcript is also there.
https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/book/626832Here are a few photos showing various pages I turned to at random, looking for a little bit of things I described...
Posted 07/29/2023 09:35 am
