The third volume of the fully revised and expanded general catalogue of Roman coins extends coverage of the Imperial series from the accession of Maximinus I in AD 235 down to the assassination of Carinus and the accession of Diocletian half a century later. This turbulent period, during which the Empire came close to total collapse and disintegration, witnessed great changes in the Imperial coinage including unprecedented debasement and the beginning of the decentralization of the mint system.

The Byzantine Empire lasted for almost a thousand years after the fall of the Roman Empire in the West. The period covered by this catalogue is from the reign of Anastasius I (491518) until the capture of Constantinople by the Turks in 1453. When this catalogue was first published in 1974 it was hailed as containing more information in a concise form than any other single volume on the Byzantine series.

The original edition of Sear's Roman Coins and Their Values was published by Seaby thirty-six years ago and has been through four revisions (1970, 1974, 1981 and 1988). However, the publication of the 'Millennium Edition' of this popular work makes a radical departure from previous editions.

A broadly-illustrated overview of the contemporary state of Greco-Roman numismatic scholarship.

This fourth volume contains a comprehensive listing of the Roman coinage of the period AD 284337 together with background information on the history of each reign and the principal characteristic of its coinage. The catalogue is organized primarily by ruler with the issues then subdivided by denomination and by reverse legend and type.

Volume II now extends coverage of the Imperial series from Nerva, the 'thirteenth Caesar' and first of the 'Adoptive' emperors, down to the overthrow of the Severan dynasty in 235. It encompasses what may justifiably be termed the 'golden age' of the Roman imperial coinage. The full development of the Augustan system of coin denomination and perfection of the method by which government propaganda was communicated to the citizenry through the medium of coinage both reached their peak during these fourteen decades.

This guide, designed with collectors in mind, gives a general background to the fascinating world of ancient Greek and Roman coins, how they were designed and manufactured, and at how they can reveal so much to us today of the time in which they were produced.

Coinage appeared at a moment when it fulfilled an essential need in Greek society and brought with it rationalization and social leveling in some respects, while simultaneously producing new illusions, paradoxes, and new elites. In a book that will encourage scholarly discussion for some time, David M. Schaps addresses a range of important coinage topics, among them money, exchange, and economic organization in the Near East and in Greece before the introduction of coinage; the invention of coinage and the reasons for its adoption; and the developing use of money to make more money.