A NUMISMATIC MANUAL; OR, GUIDE TO THE STUDY OF GREEK, ROMAN, AND ENGLISH COINS: WITH PLATES FROM THE ORIGINALS. BY JOHN Y. AKERMAN. "A SERIES OF AN EMPEROR'S COINS, IS HIS LIFE DIGESTED Addison on the Usefulness of Ancient Medals. LONDON: EFFINGHAM WILSON, ROYAL EXCHANGE. MDCCCXXXII. 2. PREFACE. ALTHOUGH this little work is not intended for the use of the experienced medalist, the author presumes that it will not be found useless as a book of reference; it is, however, rather designed as a help to those who, being desirous of forming a collection of coins, have neither the opportunity to procure, nor the patience to peruse, the many voluminous works which have been written on the subject. Small as it is, it has yet cost the compiler considerable labour; to condense the information contained in the works of various authors, being much more difficult than to comment at length upon their several opinions, especially when experience has since proved many of them to be in error; in fact, more than one work on Numismatics have evidently been written by men who were but theoretically acquainted with the subject. The study of ancient coins has been a subject of ridicule to some, who have considered it fit only for the mere antiquary; but this is by no means the case. To the historian, a knowledge of the coins of the ancients must be of infinite value; they |