Coin Book Reviews

Coins of England & The United Kingdom Standard Catalog of British Coins by Spink

British Coins by Spink - Back Cover

The Coin Dealers Bible
First published in 1929, we have been using this book, almost as our "bible", since the 1962 edition. It is simply the most complete, accurate, and reliable catalogue for British coins. Over the years, many other catalogues of British coins have been produced, some easier to use, some with extra features such as mintage figures, others less expensive, but none have yet matched "Seaby's" as it is still often called, despite having been published by Spink for a number of years now.
It would be difficult to find a British coin dealer who does not use a copy of this book.

The 43rd - 2008 Edition
The 2007, or 42th edition was substantially revised with new illustrations and many other small changes throughout, in addition to the annual updating of current prices. It was also in full colour for the first time.
The 2008 edition continues with more revisions.

According to Spink

Coins of England and the United Kingdom remains the only single-volume reference work which features every major coin type from Celtic to the present day with accurate market values for every coin type listed. It is an essential guide for beginners, serious numismatists and anyone interested in British Coinage.

As with every new edition, all sections of the catalogue have been carefully checked by the specialists at Spink and the prices of the coins have been updated to reflect current market conditions. The reference numbers used are recognized world-wide and are quoted by all of the leading auction houses and dealers.

Features of this 43rd edition include:

Contents
It is worth reading the opening sections of the catalogue before starting to use it.
The introduction explains the very logical arrangement of the book, explains that the values given in the book represent typical dealers selling prices, and explains the main factors affecting value, including condition and demand.
There is a brief but useful "Beginner's Guide to Coin Collecting", which gives very sensible and useful advice.
There is a "Market Trends" review.
The main portion of the book is a priced catalogue of coins from Celtic, through coins of Roman Britain, British imitations of Roman coins, Anglo-Saxon, hammered, milled and modern coins up to year 2000, including proof and specimen sets.
Most coins are priced in at least two different grades, some in as many as four grades. This is a useful feature because it reminds the reader, particularly those who ignore the advice to read the introduction, that coin values depend very largely on their state of preservation.
The paragraph or two at the start of each period or reign are a concise and useful source of background information about the period.

Well illustrated. Incidentally one of the most stolen books from British libraries!
Now about 550 pages.
Still good value at £25, increased from £20 last year.

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