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The Early Dated Coins of Europe, 1234-1500
By Robert A. Levinson
The Early Dated Coins of Europe, 1234-1500 presents for the first time, a comprehensive listing, by date, region, state and mint, of all the known types of gold, silver and copper coins struck in medieval Europe with an Anno Domini date of 1500 or earlier. These "early dated coins," form one of the first links between medieval and modern coinage. Anno Domini dating of coins using Latin script did not begin until the mid-13th century, and did not become prevalent in Europe until three centuries later. Separating those few coins with dates from the many struck without them at a thousand mints and by hundreds of different coin-issuing authorities was a daunting task.
This book expands mightily on the only volume remotely comparable, the long out of print work authored by Albert Frey in 1915. It has taken Robert A. Levinson, a Los Angeles attorney and an ardent collector, more than fifteen years to bring this book to fruition. It has been accomplished in no small thanks to the cooperation of many of the world's foremost numismatists, coin dealers and museums in more than half a dozen countries. A pastime begot a passion and the results are in these pages for all to see and to benefit. The Early Dated Coins of Europe, 1234-1500, will be a standard reference for years to come.
The glossaries and appendices will be invaluable not only to collectors of "early dated coins," but also to anyone needing a quick reference to medieval coin-issuing cities, states and mints, identifying their basic designs, or reading their sometimes complicated legends. Every numismatist will find the annotated bibliography a vital resource.
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