Coins

by

Alan M. Stahl

• LAST REVIEWED: 06 May 2016
• LAST MODIFIED: 15 December 2010
• DOI: 10.1093/obo/9780195396584-0022

Introduction

Medieval numismatic scholarship is characterized by a significant local focus, owing in part to the decentralized minting of most of Europe and in part to the discipline’s origins in collecting and antiquarianism. The geographical emphasis of much of the literature is not only on the national and regional level; many of the standard reference books cover the coinage of a single city or mint. This bibliography seeks to list the best starting places for an overview of each region, as well as the most up-to-date monographic studies. The focus is on Europe; for the Byzantine and medieval Islamic coinages only the most basic bibliography is offered.

General Overviews

Burnett 1991 is a useful introduction to the relationship of numismatics to history but heavily oriented to the classical world. The introductions to medieval coinage, like the literature in general, tend to be heavily regional in nature. Luschin von Ebengreuth 1926 is still useful as a handbook but more so as a reference, especially for Germanic coinages. Bompaire and Dumas 2000 and Kluge 2007, emphasize respectively French and German coinages.

• Bompaire, Marc, and Françoise Dumas. Numismatique médiévale: monnaies et documents d’origine française. L’atelier du médiéviste. Turnhout, Belgium: Brepols, 2000.

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  A general introduction to the bibliography and methodology of medieval numismatics, centered on the coinages of France.

• Burnett, Andrew M. Coins: Interpreting the Past. London: British Museum, 1991.

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  Though this handbook focuses on ancient coins, it covers material relevant to the interpretation of medieval coinage as well.

• Kluge, Bernd. Numismatik des Mittelalters. Vol. 1, Handbuch und Thesaurus Nummorum Medii Aevi. Veröffentlichungen der Numismatischen Kommission 45. Berlin: Münzkabinett, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, 2007.

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  A handbook based on the holdings of the Berlin cabinet. Also published in Vienna by Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften.

• Luschin von Ebengreuth, Arnold. Allgemeine Münzkunde und Geldgeschichte. 2d ed. Munich: Oldenbourg, 1926.

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  A rich compilation of material, of special value for metrology and nomenclature of Germanic and early modern issues.