Published in 2007, in Bulgaria, text in English. $20 + $8 shipping from SP-P Publishing House.78 pages on good paper. The photographs are good quality and many are enlarged.
- 41 Greek coins (3 AE, 4 gold, the rest silver)
+110 Histiaia tetrobols - 1 Celtic imitation of Phillip II
- 2 Roman Republican (1 gold)
- 25 Roman coins (6 AE, 9 gold, 10 silver)
- 2 Byzantine coins
- 17 'Mandev studio' coins (8 Greek, 1 Bosporos kingdom, 7 Roman, 1 medieval)
- 6 antiquities
The six page Introduction mostly describes large pseudo-hoards of fake tetradrachms and Republican denarii arriving on the market. (These hoards aren't in this book.) There are three pages on the Mandev studio. The rest of the book is a catalog of fakes. Some of the fakes get a paragraph describing their manufacture or patina.
The coins are divided into three sections. The first section contains all coins except the Mandev and Histiaia fakes. The second section is the Mandev studio coins. The third is the tetrobols.
The Histiaia coins are all shown life size and with an accompanying enlargement. Only 18 non-Histiaia coins are enlarged. The enlargements are on three separate pages far from the life sized image the description. I would have preferred to see the enlargements next to the life size photo and description. The same glossy paper is used throughout so there is no benefit to forcing the reader to flip around for enlargements.
Putting the Mandev coins into their own section makes sense because seeing them together helps the expert develop an eye for the Mandev style. It also makes it harder to find particular coins. I would have preferred to see the Mandev coins mixed in with the other fakes AND shown together, as enlargements, in a separate Mendev section.
Recommended and a bargain at $28 postpaid.
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