This is the successor to the single-volume general catalogue of Roman coins, first published in 1964 and most recently revised in 1988. The new 'Millennium Edition' marks a radical departure from previous traditions: the introductory articles have been thoroughly revised and the imperial biographies rewritten and enlarged; there has been a major expansion of the listings, which now include a complete type catalogue of the Republican series and much fuller representation of the Imperial types (each with its place of mintage and precise date); and a dramatic increase in the number and quality of the illustrations (all of which are now incorporated in the text). This expansion has necessitated a new multiple-volume format, like the companion work on Greek Coins and will provide collectors and dealers with a far more comprehensive work of reference.

 

The second volume of the fully revised and expanded general catalogue of Roman coins extends coverage of the Imperial series from the accession of Nerva (first of the Adoptive Emperors) in AD 96 down to the violent overthrow of the Severan Dynasty fourteen decades later. The introductory articles are again included in this volume and, as in the case of Volume I, the Imperial biographies have been entirely rewritten and enlarged. There has been a major expansion of the catalogue listings which is especially noticeable for gold aureus types and the three major base metal denominations - sestertius, dupondius and as. Once again, great emphasis has been placed on the place of mintage and precise date of issue of each catalogue entry, making this book a far more valuable source of information than previous editions (or any other general work on the subject). The vast 2nd century coinage of Roman Egypt, struck at Alexandria, is also covered comprehensively in this volume, in continuation of the format established in Volume I. The number and quality of the illustrations incorporated in the text has been dramatically increased to over 1,200 out of a total listing of more than 5,000 types.