Review of Rasiel Suarez, 'The Encyclopedia of Roman Imperial Coins', 2nd Edition. Tumwater, WA: Dirty Old Books, 2010. Pp. xx, 1455. ISBN 9780976466413. $149.95.

Abstract

The second edition of 'The Encyclopedia of Roman Imperial Coins' (ERIC II) is clearly targeted at the collector who is not a Roman history or numismatics expert and wishes to determine when and where a coin was made and how much that coin might be worth. Suarez himself accurately describes this work as a 'back-to-basics reference tool for dealers and collectors' (p. i). The author is to this extent largely successful. This work is certainly not going to compete with Roman Imperial Coinage (RIC) in any meaningful way for those who require an academic approach to ancient numismatics, being more than anything else a book filled with lists of coins. The work covers a very lengthy time period in one massive tome, listing coins from the period of Augustus to Constantine XI (approximately 1500 years). Compressing this into one volume ensures that with a single, reasonably priced purchase the collector can possess a significant reference work illustrating the numismatics of a substantial historical period. This does result in the work being a massive volume weighing in at approximately five kg and totalling over 1400 pages. Unfortunately the strength of this book, the shorthand identification system that allows for the coverage of such a large time period in one volume, is also its major weakness as it seems that errors have crept into the lists, which clearly reduce the value of this work.