As many visitors to this site will already be aware, David R. Sear has authored an extensive series of books over the past three and a half decades aimed at covering the entire spectrum of ancient numismatics, from the beginnings of coinage in western Asia Minor around 600 BC to the fall of the Byzantine Empire in 1453. His goal has been to present seemingly complex subject matter in a simple and usable form, and thereby encourage people to take up a hobby which can provide endless fascination and ultimately lead to a deeper understanding of our past. He has had the gratification of hearing from many numismatists over the years that his books were responsible for their initial involvement in the subject. Many of these works are still available in their most recent editions and we invite you to order them directly from this site. Full details of each publication appear on the following pages.
ROMAN COINS AND THEIR VALUES. VOLUME I
His first book, ROMAN COINS AND THEIR VALUES, was published by Seaby in 1964 and was awarded the Lhotka Memorial Prize by the Royal Numismatic Society in London. It has since been through a number of revisions, the most recent being the Fourth Revised Edition which appeared in 1988 (now out of print). The entirely new 'Millennium Edition' Volume I of which, covering the Republic through the Twelve Caesars, is now available.
ROMAN COINS AND THEIR VALUES. VOLUME II
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. Volume III extends coverage of the Imperial series from the accession of Maximinus I in AD 235 down to the assassination of Carinus and the accession of Diocletian half a century later.
ROMAN COINS AND THEIR VALUES. VOLUME III
The third volume of the fully revised and expanded general catalogue of Roman coins extends coverage of the Imperial series from the accession of Maximinus I in AD 235 down to the assassination of Carinus and the accession of Diocletian half a century later. The introductory articles are again included in this volume and, as with Volumes I and II, the Imperial biographies have been entirely rewritten and enlarged. There has been a major expansion of the catalogue listings and special 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 fourth volume, encompassing the remainder of the Imperial coinage down to the late 5th century, will complete the set in 2007.
BYZANTINE COINS AND THEIR VALUES
BYZANTINE COINS AND THEIR VALUES, the second of my books to appear in print, deals with the lesser-known subject of the Christian Roman Empire in the East, from the reign of Anastasius I (AD 491 - 518) to the fall of Constantinople to the Turks under the Ottoman Sultan Mohammed II on May 29, 1453. The original edition was published in 1974 , but was extensively revised and expanded in the current (1988) edition. This catalogue has the added virtue of including virtually every known type of this intriguing series, together with a chapter which describes and illustrates many of the modern forgeries of Byzantine coins which have appeared on the market in recent decades.
GREEK COINS AND THEIR VALUES. VOLUME I
My third published work was GREEK COINS AND THEIR VALUES which appeared in two volumes in 1978 and 1979. Volume 1 covers the issues of Greek mints in Europe and includes related series, such as the Celtic coinages of Britain, Gaul, and the Balkans.
GREEK COINS AND THEIR VALUES. VOLUME 2
provides the same coverage for mints in Asia and Africa, and includes a comprehensive listing of the coinages of the great Hellenistic monarchies of the post-Alexander era, down to the fall of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt in 30 BC.
GREEK IMPERIAL COINS AND THEIR VALUES
Next to be published was GREEK IMPERIAL COINS AND THEIR VALUES (1982) which was awarded the 1983 Book Prize by the International Association of Professional Numismatists (IAPN). In this catalogue I broke new ground by providing collectors with a chronological overview of the provincial coinage of the Roman Empire, produced for local circulation by Greek mints and Roman colonial foundations. As such it provides a perfect companion volume to both Roman Coins and Their Values and Greek Coins and Their Values. Also included are the contemporary coinages of independent and semi-independent states, such as the Arsacid kingdom of Parthia and the Herodian dynasty in Judaea.
THE HISTORY AND COINAGE OF THE ROMAN IMPERATORS
My most recent book is THE HISTORY AND COINAGE OF THE ROMAN IMPERATORS which appeared as a Spink Publication (London) in 1998 and has also been awarded an IAPN Book Prize. This represents a radical departure from the pattern of my previous works, being a detailed historical narrative of the period which witnessed the transition from Republic to Empire in the Roman world. Interwoven with the chronicle of events is a complete type catalogue of all the coins issued during this brief, but violent, phase of Roman history.
ROMAN SILVER COINS.
The five-volume set of ROMAN SILVER COINS, though not authored by me, is a work with which I have been closely involved over the years through its various revisions. The idea of a complete type catalogue of the Roman Republican and Imperial silver denominations was originally conceived by Herbert Seaby, founder of the London coin company B. A. Seaby Ltd. Volume I, covering the Republic through Augustus, first appeared in 1952 and was followed two years later by Volume II (Tiberius to Commodus). The most recent revisions of each appeared in 1978 and 1979 respectively. Volume III (Pertinax to Balbinus and Pupienus) was published in 1969 and revised in 1982; whilst Volume IV (Gordian III to Postumus) appeared in 1971 and was also revised in 1982. The final book in the series, Volume V (Carausius to Romulus Augustus) was authored by Dr. C.E. King of the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, and was published in 1987. The full set covers about 770 years of Roman silver coinage and is an indispensable source of information for the serious collector.
