The numismatic chronicle and journal of the Royal Numismatic Society

72 NUMISMATIC CHRONICLE.
form a nucleus for a universal corpus of Greek coins, for by
that time it may be boped that Paris, Berlin, Munich, Vienna,
and St. Petersburg, may also have begun to catalogue their
collections on the same system. It is hopeless to expect a
complete corpus of Greek coins before the contents of every
great cabinet have been minutely and accurately described.
The catalogue of the Roman coins in the British Museum
has not progressed beyond Mr. Grueber's volume of Roman
medallions.
The Oriental series, on tbe other hand, has already extended
to six volumes, this portion being compiled by Mr. Lane-Poole.
All these catalogues are now illustrated by the autotype
process, by the adoption of which in the place of woodcuts a
large reduction in the price has been effected.
In addition to this work of classifying and cataloguing, time
has also been found to do something for the non-numismatic
public, by way of introducing them to the study of coins. A
good beginning in this direction has been made, first, by
exhibiting extensive selections of coins and medals of various
classes in the public galleries, and next, by the publication of
cheap hand-books or guides. Of these, Mr. Head's chronolo-
gical Guide to Greek Coins was the first. This little book,
which was illustrated by seven excellent autotype plates containing
figures of about eighty coins, had a rapid sale, and
though published less than a year ago is now out of print. A
second edition is, however, in progress, which promises to be
even more popular than its predecessor, for instead of seven
plates, the new Guide will have seventy, the number of coins
represented on these plates being no less than 800. It is to be
at half-a-crowu each. Part
brought out in ten consecutive parts
I., which is just out, contains the coins of the archaic period ;
Part II. will illustrate those of the transitional style ; Part III.,
the coins of the period of finest art, &c., &c. ; an instalment of
the seventy plates accompanying each part.
Fully as popular among a different class of collectors will be
the new Guide to English Medals, by Mr. Grueber, ranging
from the reign of Edward VI. to the battle of Waterloo. This
is a book which contains an immense mass of information which
may be sought for in vain elsewhere.
The same may be said of Mr. Keary's Guide to the Italian
Medals of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, which will be
simply invaluable to all who are interested in cinque cento art,
and in the history of the great Italian families. Each of these
little guides, like that to the Greek coins, will be accompanied
by seven autotype plates, and sold for half-a-crown.