Ancient Coin Collecting VI: Non-Classical Cultures

Rating:
Summary: Good overview and roadmap to collecting areas.
Review: As the author states, this is not meant to be a comprehensive volume. The field of ancient coins from non-classical cultures is so wide, that I think it is wonderful that someone took the time to assemble an overview that helps the beginner to start recognizing types, and then points them in the right direction. This is especially useful in a field where references for very narrow segment of the coinage are hard to find, and most often very expensive. I myself have invested in a book or two that sounded as if it would carry my field of interest--only to leave me out in the cold, with a very empty wallet!

I only wish that Wayne Sayles could continue this series to cover coinage from India, Ceylon/Sri Lanka, and Asia as well. An excellent book for those new to the field, or looking to expand their ancient coin collecting interests outside the Classical World.

Rating:
Summary: Too broad of a spectrum
Review: I have bought and read almost all of the books in this series and definitely this is the one that satisfied me the least. In trying to squeeze too many cultures living in too broad of a time frame in just one regular sized book, the reader is just confused on the relation between the choices of cultures displayed. Most of the individual sections are just too short to show the coinage and much less the history of these peoples. One should approach this book as a long, long magazine article that presents some non classical cultures and just that. It is not even a book, as the others in the series are, that entices you to look deeper into the bibliography and that at least gives you the 'big picture'. This book only succeeds in confusing and making the coinage of those already almost unknown cultures a little bit more obscure.