Coins of the World 1750-1850 [antikvár]

1 INTRODUCTION To The Third Edition Contents This catalog is designed to extend Richard S. Yeoman's A Catalog of Modern World Coins backward another century. The period covered is approximately 1750-1850, but listings for each state commence at a logical date (usually the beginning of a new reign) close to 1750, and end at Mr. Yeoman's point of beginning. Thus, for example, under Prussia coins from 1740 to 1873 are listed, while under Great Britain this catalog stops at 1837. It was thought that by thus keying the two catalogs together, identification and an indication of the retail value of most available non-ancient coins could be achieved at least expense to the collector. My intent has been to include all official metal coins intended for circulation, struck by every state in the world during the period covered by the catalog. Minor die varieties, of which a multitude exist from this era owing to crude facilities, are not mentioned separately. As with any large undertaking, despite a great deal of work by a great many people since the first edition appeared, omissions still exist and errors are still to be expected. Comments, corrections and additional information (particularly with respect to details italicized) are therefore solicited, and should be sent to the author so that subsequent editions may be even more useful. In compiling this catalog, medals, private tokens, patterns, essays, mis-struck coins, presentation pieces in off-metals, and the like, have been omitted intentionally. The existence of omitted material is often mentioned in supplementary notes to eliminate confusion. In many instances the question of inclusion or omission was a close one. Authoritative comments with respect to any of these matters will, of course, be welcomed by the author. Valuations The evaluation of a coin's worth is still a special problem. Substantial increases in the number of active collectors have kept the coin market in flux for several years. The "correct" price for any piece is supposed to be what an informed buyer will pay an informed seller when neither is under any compulsion. As there are variables which enter into the establishment of such a price, ii must be emphasized here that all values as shown in this book are lo be considered only as esti' mates and not offers to buy or sell, as the publishers do not buy or sell coins of any kind. This third edition incorporates the feature of a specific condition heading for each column of prices, and sometimes for single coins, in an effort to aid in arriving at a true market value for the listed coins. There has also been dealer participation in the evaluating so that the resultant figures are, in the main, averages based on a broad and varied opinion survey of the market. In every case the value is given for the most common variety, date or mint of each type listed; prices are average retail in U.S. dollars. Condition The condition grade chosen to be priced is intended to be the "top average" grade in which the commonest variety of each listed type is found today. Interpretation of the meaning of "top average" is subject to the experience of each observer; therefore, comments on this method of cataloging are welcome from dealers and specialists with extensive experience. Coins in better condition should bring substantially more, and coins in poorer condition substantially less than the values given. Following is a list of definitions of the condition headings as used in this book: Uncirculated — Some mint lustre. Minor cabinet wear permissible, but otherwise the coin should be as it left the mint. EF— Insignificant wear and no readily noticeable dents, gouges or scratches. VF—Circulated, but all details clear, no unattractive dents, gouges or scratches. Fine — Some wear and some dents, gouges, scratches, but still a desirable coin with all major details clear. VG — Worn, but all inscriptions legible and the outlines of all major and minor details visible. Good — As VG, but the outlines of certain minor details worn away. Fair — Badly worn, but not mutilated. Sufficient visible detail to identify the coin fully. Poor — Mutilated or so worn that some detail essential to complete attribution is not visible. Cut and countermarked coins present special difficulty. Prices for these are for legible and complete countermarks on coins in identifiable condition. Pierced Turkish coins are in a class by themselves. See TURKEY. How to Find Coin Listings in this Book All countries are listed in this catalog in alphabetic sequence. This is a change from the first edition, which was divided into the Western countries followed by the African and Asian. Unless one knows Chinese, Arabic, or several other non-European alphabets and tongues, coins with legends in those languages may be harder to locate in this volume. In order to assist the collector in the location of such pieces, the following listing of country groupings is given: Moslem or Arabic Afghanistan Algiers Arabia Armenia (Caucasia) Bukhara (Turkestan) Caucasia Egypt India (and some State coinages) Krim (Crimea) Malay Peninsula Mesopotamia (now Iraq) Morocco Netherlands East Indies Persia (now Iran) Syria Tripoli