The Silver Coins of Medieval France, 476-1610 AD ()
James N. Roberts, 1996 Attic Books Ltd.
Hardcover, 24x28½cm

Type: Identification guide
Coverage: 587 pp. listing more than 10,000 types, of which an amazing 7300 are illustrated! Covers France, Savoy, Lorraine, Alsace, and "northern types" which extend into Flanders, Brabant, and other modern Belgian areas.
Availability: widely available on Amazon, ABEBooks, and elsewhere.
Price: Amazon currently lists it at $56.39. List price is $89.50.
Pros: Unparalleled scope and breadth of coverage. So many coins are illustrated it's almost overwhelming. Mammoth bibliography, numerous other collecting and identification aids, maps, cross-references, tables...
Cons: Bare-bones coin listings on the illustration pages. Most likely the information you might be after (weights, diameters, etc.) are elsewhere in the book but you'll need to hunt around for it. Few legend transcriptions. No attempt at providing valuations. Some pages and sections may seem cluttered, almost incomprehensible until you're used to the system.

Even though it's not in alphabetical order with the rest, I'm putting this book at the top because it deserves to be there. Indeed, words fail when trying to describe its contents. To criticize the book at all seems most unfair to Mr. Roberts given the immense amount of work he put into making it the best I think it can possibly be. It fulfills the role he set out for it to achieve in spades. If you collect coins of the area and period, you cannot be without this book in my opinion. You could spend days just poring over the heaps of juicy tidbits like the denominations summaries, the descriptions in the lower corner of the odd numbered pages, indexes, maps, and more.

Aangemunt en nagemunt ()
John Porteus, 1968, softcover 10½x20cm

Type: Identification/comparison guide
Coverage: Illustrates 44 similarly designed medieval coins for comparison, 77 pages total.
Availability: Some copies usually available from Abebooks sellers, occasionally on EBay
Price: Very inexpensive, $10-15 or less.
Pros: Excellent quality photos, legend transcriptions aid differentiating the similar coins
Cons: No catalogue references on any coin, little other information beyond issuing state and denomination.

An interesting little guidebook that compares coins issued by often-neighboring regions in the Low Countries that were designed to be copycats and imitations of others. The 33 text pages provide a brief history of the coins shown on the plates. There is little beyond the photo comparisons and legend transcriptions, but the purpose of the book was not to be a catalogue. Don't drop a lot of money on this, you'll likely look at it once and then never again.

Catalogus van de Nederlandse Munten ()
Tom Passon, 2006 Omni-Trading b. v., Apeldoorn
Softcover

Type: Catalogue
Coverage: 291 pp. describing thousands of coin types and dates from the Netherlands 1555-1805.
Availability: Check the usual online booksellers, and also on EBay from Decazo (listed above). I couldn't find it on Amazon or ABEBooks despite its recent publication date. Perhaps another edition is now in the works and the present one is out of print?
Price: Around €50
Pros: Clearly laid out with legend transcriptions and current prices in multiple (usually four) grades. Capsule histories of the various minting states. Many cross-references to recent and historical catalogues.
Cons: Wildly uneven photo quality. Most line drawings and some photos are clear, others are very poorly printed with ugly half-tone moire (see the sample page by clicking on the book's cover). This is a serious issue that I would hope is corrected in a future edition. Somewhat high price for being softbound and printed on low to average quality paper. No weight or composition information.

Catalogus van de Zilveren Munten ()
Zonnebloem, 1974, softcover 13x19cm

Type: Catalogue
Coverage: Two volumes, 444 total pages covering silver coins of the Netherlands from 1576-1795.
Availability: Available on Abebooks, often from the seller A.ABM.
Price: Reasonably inexpensive, $30-40 for the set in average used condition.
Pros: Excellent data on size, weight, composition, and full legend transcriptions.
Cons: No numbering system at all. Photos are occasionally mediocre, small coins often indistinct or unreadable.

DE DRIESTEDEN MUNTSLAG, 1479-1588 VAN DEVENTER, KAMPEN EN ZWOLLE ()
J. Fortuyn Droogleever, 1986 Stichting Nederlandse Penningkabinetten
Softcover, 19x27cm

Type: Catalogue
Coverage: 36 pp., 102 types and many more variants from the three cities union, 1479-1588.
Availability: Assumed out-of-print, hard to find. Check seller listed at the top.
Price: My copy was $20
Pros: Great depth and detail, numerous quality photos, full legend transcriptions.
Cons: No weights or diameters given

De Munten Brabant en Limburg ()
De Munten Graven en Hertogen van Gelderland
De Munten Heeren en steden van Gelderland
De Munten Heeren en steden van Overijssel
De Munten Friesland Groningen en Drenthe
De Munten Graafschappen Holland en Zeeland
De Munten Bisschoppen, van de heerlijkheid en de stad Utrecht
De Munten Leenen van de hertogdommen Brabant en Limburg
De munten der Frankische- en Duitsch-Nederlandsche Vorsten
P. O. van der Chijs, 1851-1866 Erven F. Bohn
Hardcover, 21x29cm

Type: Catalogue and history
Coverage: 4,221 pp., 283 plates. Literally thousands of types and many more variants from the Netherlands, Belgium, and surrounding areas from c.1000 to the pacification of Ghent in 1576.
Availability: Out-of-print, complete original sets are extremely rare. A. J. Jannink and M. Mannesse are working to clean up and republish this essential set. Three beautifully bound and restored volumes are available and the rest are in preparation for future release. Click here for information about the set, here for the order form.
Price: The original set easily exceeds $2500 in good condition. Jannink & Mannesse's reprinted set will be €495 when completed. Individual volumes vary from €45-75.
Pros: Unrivalled detail and history, thousands of illustrated coins on quality plates.
Cons: None apart from being 150 years old and therefore lacking more recent discoveries.

Mr. van der Chijs studied dozens of important collections of coins from museums, private holdings, and elsewhere, and commissioned drawings of rare and unique pieces. This is a true 19th century masterpiece whose scope and depth are sadly missing in more recent works. For the lowlands, this is an essential first purchase if you need comprehensive coverage of the whole region's medieval coinage and you can afford it. More narrowly focused coverage exists in other books, but no book since van der Chijs has attempted to supplant it.

More van der Chijs plates and photos of the Jannink/Mannesse reprint book can be seen by clicking the following links. The cover and sample page shown above is from an old facsimilie and is much inferior to the high quality of the published reprint:
Friesland Groningen en Drenthe
Graafschappen Holland en Zeeland

De Nederlandse Noodmunten van de Tachtigjarige Oorlog ()
Enno van Gelder, 1955 Staatsdrukkerij- en Uitgeverijbedrijf
Hardcover, 17½x25½cm

Type: Catalogue and history
Coverage: 62 pp., 12 plates. 232 types and numerous variants
Availability: Very difficult to find, check the Lowlands booksellers like A.ABM, Decazo, and Mevius
Price: €25-35 and up
Pros: Full legend and weights given, excellent photos
Cons: No valuations, but that's a niggling complaint when many of these coins likely go decades in between appearances on the market.

Very comprehensive coverage of the emergency money used during the 80 years war. Another important and scholarly work by Dr. van Gelder. The cover shown at left is from a facsimile. A copy you find may look different.

De Stedelijke Munt van Nijmegen ()
Tom Passon, 1980 Nijmeegs Museum 'Commanderie van Sint Jan'
Softcover, 24x31cm

Type: Catalogue and history
Coverage: 69 pp., 95 coin and tokens from Nijmegen, with numerous variations, 1457-1704
Availability: Assumed out-of-print. Check seller listed at the top.
Price: Fairly inexpensive $15-25 on average.
Pros: Quality photos, detailed listings of variants, legend transcriptions.
Cons: No valuations, no weights.

A nice large format work with 27 pages of detailed historical information about the coinages of Nijmegen, followed by the catalogue of coins and varieties.

De Stedelijke Muntslag van Zwolle ()
H. J. van der Wiel, 1994 Mevius Numisbooks Int.
Softcover, 19x27cm

Type: Catalogue
Coverage: 85 pp., 259 coin types from Zwolle, with numerous variations, 1488-1694.
Availability: Assumed out-of-print, hard to find. Check seller listed at the top.
Price: My copy was $25 from Decazo
Pros: Quality photos, detailed listings of variants, weights and legend transcriptions.
Cons: No valuations, many important early coins have no illustration at all.

De Vorstelijke en de Stedelijke Muntslag te Deventer ()
J. Fortuyn Droogleever, 1982 Boekhandel Praamstra
Softcover, 19x27cm

Type: Catalogue
Coverage: 48 pp., 262 coin types from Deventer, with numerous variations, 983-1708.
Availability: Assumed out-of-print, hard to find. Check seller listed at the top.
Price: My copy was $20, I have never seen others
Pros: Great depth and detail, numerous photos, weights and legend transcriptions for many coins.
Cons: Some photos are so washed out or dark as to be completely indiscernable.

DE ZEEUWSE MUNTEN ()
Jean De Mey, 1969 Numismatic Pocket, softcover 13x20cm

Type: Catalogue
Coverage: 44 pp. and 6 plates covering 173 coins from Zeeland, 1168-1797.
Availability: Out-of-print, occasionally available at Abebooks.com.
Price: Varies, usually around $40.
Pros: Thoroughly illustrated, full legend transcriptions, mintage figures where known.
Cons: No coin weight or metal purity information.

Similar in format to the Numismatic Pocket books on Brabant and elsewhere, the line drawings in this book are superior to the Brabant books described. Nearly all are clear and distinct.

GESLAGEN TE ZUTPHEN ()
E. J. A. van Beek, J. Fortuyn Droogleever, 1990 De Walburg Pers
Softcover, 14½x21½cm

Type: Catalogue
Coverage: 56 pp., 40 coin types from Zutphen, with numerous variations, 1479-1692.
Availability: Check Lowlands sellers listed above and on the booksellers page.
Price: My copy was $20, I have never seen others
Pros: Great depth and detail, numerous quality photos, full legend transcriptions.
Cons: No weights or diameters given

Les Anciennes Monnaies des Comtes de Flandre, Ducs de Brabant, Comtes de Hainaut, Comtes de Namur, et Ducs de Luxembourg ()
F. Den Duyts, 1847 C. Annoot-Braeckman, Gand. Reprinted 1972 Alfred Szego, Oakdale, New York.
Softcover, 14x21½cm

Type: Catalogue
Coverage: 128 pp., 48 small plates describing 312 coin types from the regions in the title, 13th century through the reign of Charles V.
Availability: Jerry Walker at VCoins often has this reprint in stock. An original is very rare.
Price: $21 from Jerry Walker.
Pros: Legends, weights, diameters, good descriptions. Decent hand-drawn plates for many types.
Cons: Long out of date and missing many types discovered later as no supplements were published to my knowledge.

This is a nice introduction to the coinage of the Burgundian Lowlands, and will serve decently for identifying general styles and common coins. There are too many missing dates and types, however, to expect this to fill the role of the more recently published books listed elsewhere on this page.

LES MONNAIES DE BRABANT ()
Jean De Mey, 1966-1976 Numismatic Pocket, softcover 13x20cm

Type: Catalogue
Coverage: Three volumes covering 898 coin types from the state of Brabant, 1106-1790.
Availability: Out-of-print, some volumes can be difficult to find and are expensive.
Price: Varies greatly by volume and edition.
Pros: Thoroughly illustrated, mintage figures given when known. Full legend transcriptions.
Cons: Valuations are long outdated but are still useful for gauging relative values. A large portion of the illustrations are unclearly printed and appear broken or spotty. No coin weight or metal purity information.

A comprehensive overview of Brabant's coinage from the early days onwards through the Battle of Turnhout and the formation of the United States of Belgium, and certainly less expensive than the 19th century catalogues. The lack of any information on weight and fineness is disappointing, as are many of the illustrations. Virtually all illustrations are line drawings, though there are a page or two of photos either in the beginning or end of the book. Some of the line drawings are bold and clear, but many others have the appearance of running a photo through too many sharpening routines in processing software, making them appear speckled and incomplete.

LES MONNAIES DE BRETAGNE ()
Jean De Mey, 1970 Numismatic Pocket
Ssoftcover, 13x20cm

Type: Catalogue
Coverage: 157 pp. covering 524 coins from Brittany and surroundings, 781-1547.
Availability: Out-of-print, occasionally available at Abebooks.com.
Price: Varies, usually around $40.
Pros: Thoroughly illustrated, full legend transcriptions, short biographical sketches of rulers in the listings.
Cons: Valuations are long outdated but are still useful for gauging relative values. No coin weight or metal purity information.

Similar in format to the Numismatic Pocket books on Brabant and elsewhere, the line drawings in this book are superior to the Brabant books described above. Nearly all are clear and distinct.

Les Monnaies de la Principaute de Liege ()
A. Mignolet, 1986 Editions numismatiques A. G. van der Dussen b. v.
Softcover, 21x29½cm

Type: Catalogue
Coverage: 126 pp. and 52 plates illustrating 734 coin types, all described in the text (unpaginated), c.1002-1792.
Availability: Assumed to be out-of-print, check the Lowlands booksellers or ABEBooks. Van der Dussen had at least one at the time I wrote this.
Price: Usually around $25.
Pros: Almost unsurpassed quality line drawing plates, very sharp and distinct! Legends and descriptions, metal type, minting location, and indication of rarity.
Cons: No valuations, no weights or diameters. No histories or information on mintmasters or marks.

This excellent work is a rewritten and expanded edition of the long-time standard work on coins of Liege by Baron de Chestret de Haneffe. That book went unchallenged for so long that coins of Liege were simply referenced to their number "in the Chestret" like Krause is for modern world coins. Mignolet has improved on that book by adding rarity and denomination information, modern cross-references, and more. Very recently this book has been overshadowed in depth and detail by Jean-Luc Dengis' massive four volume set on Liege, but if you want a worthy and far cheaper substitute as an introduction to the region's coins, this is still a valuable title.

Type: Catalogue
Coverage: 136 pp. covering 426 coins from Utrecht city and bishopric, 937-1581.
Availability: Out-of-print, occasionally available at Abebooks.com.
Price: Varies, usually around $40.
Pros: Thoroughly illustrated, full legend transcriptions, short biographical sketches of rulers in the listings.
Cons: Valuations are long outdated but are still useful for gauging relative values. No coin weight or metal purity information.

Similar in format to the Numismatic Pocket books on Brabant and elsewhere, the line drawings in this book are of average quality. Some are clear, others are spotty, but few are as bad as the Brabant book fortunately.

Les Monnaies des Pays-Bas Bourguignons et Espagnols, 1434-1713 ()
Dr. Enno van Gelder and Marcel Hoc, 1960 J. Schulman
Softcover, 21x30cm

Type: Catalogue
Coverage: 210 pp. and 34 plates covering 379 coin types and numerous more variants from the Burgundian and later Spanish lands, 1434-1713. 10 page supplement makes corrections and a few additions.
Availability: Out-of-print and highly sought-after, sometimes available at Abebooks.com.
Price: The original printing is very expensive, typically $200 or more.
Pros: Packed with information. Legend transcriptions, metal type, weight, mintage, equivalent valuations and denomination names.
Cons: Plates are rather poor

A landmark work and very important to collectors of lowlands coins, this is a worthwhile purchase if you can find it and can afford it. It is very well complemented by Jean De Mey's Repertoire de la Numismatique des Pays d'en-Bas described below for relative pricing information and for additional illustrations, assuming you don't have the van der Chijs set. Note that the book cover shown here is from a photocopy, not the original.

Les Monnaies Royales Françaises des Hugh Capet a Louis XVI ()
Louis Ciani, 1926 Paris, 1969 reprint distributed by A. G. van der Dussen
Softcover, 18x24½cm

Type: Catalogue
Coverage: 502 pp. covering 2267 French royal mint issues from 956-1793
Availability: Out-of-print, usually available at Abebooks.com, especially from French and Lowlands booksellers.
Price: Typically $75-$125 for a decent original Parisian edition, or the equally high quality 1969 van der Dussen reprint.
Pros: Nice illustrations in the text for the great majority of types. Short historical summaries of the coinage of each ruler. Legend transcriptions, metal type.
Cons: Weights are seldom given, valuations obviously far out of date.

Muntboek, Bevattende de Namen en Afbeeldingen van Munten ()
P. Verkade, 1848 P. J. van Dyk, reprint De Gouden Reaal, Amsterdam (no date given)
Softcover, 15x22cm

Type: Catalogue
Coverage: 214 pp. and 228(!) plates covering 1154 coin types from the Netherlands, 1570s-1840
Availability: Long out-of-print, obviously. Van der Dussen had at least one reprint copy as of the time I wrote this and other stores had the original.
Price: The original is scarce and typically at least $150. Reprints $30-50.
Pros: Staggering number of high quality line drawn illustrations! These alone make it worth picking up at least the reprint, in my opinion. Includes some colonial issues.
Cons: Very spartan listings, no legends, no weights or diameters. So old that it cross-references no other well known works.

Prifix Monnaies: Catalogue Illustré des Monnaies Luxembourgeoises ()
Romain Probst, 1998 Banque du Timbre et Lux-Numis
Softcover, 12½x18½cm

Type: Catalogue
Coverage: 536 pp. covering appx. 435 coins and medals from Luxembourg, 937-1581.
Availability: Banque du Timbre sells it directly, other booksellers may have various editions.
Price: €25 from BdT, older editions are usually cheaper.
Pros: Attractively published and bound on quality paper with clear drawings and photos. Weight and composition info along wiht mintage figures where known. Full legend transcriptions.
Cons: Lacking biographical and geographical histories that other catalogues typically include.

Sets a high standard for modern catalogues in providing loads of useful identification info. The layout is excellent and clean with one coin type per page.Notes on specific coins are presented below each listing. The only thing missing from my edition that I would like to see is some historical information about the various rulers and mintmasters, and maps of the minting locations.

Repertoire de la Numismatique des Pays d'en-Bas ()
Jean De Mey, 1982 Bruxelles
Softcover

Type: Catalogue
Coverage: 153 pp. listing 3652 coins (577 types and their dates) minted in Brabant, Flanders, Namur, Liege, and other former Burgundian and Spanish-held states from 1419-1714. It does NOT include the Netherlands coins from states and cities like Groningen, Deventer, Zwolle, etc.
Availability: Occasionally found on ABEBooks and EBay, but less often seen than De Mey's Numismatic Pocket books.
Price: Uncertain, but likely $25 or more
Pros: Nice all-in-one listing of the Burgundian area coins with illustrations, mintage figures, and prices in multiple grades
Cons: Very spartan, no weights, legend transcriptions, historical information, metal type. Prices are out of date but still useful for gauging relative rarity.

The book shown here is a photocopy, a copy you find may appear different. This is a handy compilation and summary of the information contained in various Numismatic Pocket books for the time period listed. Even in my rather poor photocopy, the line drawings and photos are much improved from those books in most places.

Type: Catalogue and history
Coverage: Combined 170 pp. and 24 plates covering coins of Namur, 1037-1714
Availability: Check ABEBooks, Van der Dussen or A.ABM may have a copy.
Price: Can be expensive, even the reprint is usually $50 or more.
Pros: Great historical information on the rulers. Legend transcriptions, weights, composition. The plates in this book rival, or even surpass, the quality of those in the Mignolet book on Liege for clarity and sharpness. A very impressive job by van der Dussen on the reprint.
Cons: None, apart from being long out of date and likely missing some rare types discovered and described later.

The Google book scanning project has this book online! Click on the link next to the title above. It is missing the later supplement.

LISTING OF JEAN De MEY'S NUMISMATIC POCKET BOOK SERIES
These largely cover regions of France and the Low Countries. Some are described above.

1. Les monnaies des ducs de Brabant (1106-1467).
2. Les monnaies des souverains Luxembourgeois (984-1790)
3. Les monnaies du Benelux (1790-1967)
4. Les monnaies de cuivre Liégeoises (1378-1763)
5. Les monnaies D'Élagabale (218-222)
6. Les monnaies de Reckheim (1340-1720)
7. Les monnaies des ducs de Brabant (1467-1598).
8. De Zeeuwse munten (1168-1798)
9. Les monnaies de nécessite belges (1816-1918).
10. Les monnaies de Bretagne (768-1547)
11. Les monnaies de Namur (946-1714)
12. Les monnaies de Gaule Belgique.
13. De munten van Overijssel
14. Les monnaies de Bourgogne
15. Les monnaies des Prince-évèques de Liège
16. De munten van Vlaanderen (I)
17. Connaissance de la numismatique.
18. Les monnaies des ducs de Brabant (III) (1598-1790).
19. Les monnaies du Comtat Venaisin.
20. Les monnaies du Tournaisis.
21. Het Belgische papiergeld.
22. Le papier-monnaie beige d'outremer (1896-1963).
23. Les monnaies d'Alsace.
24. Les monnaies de Strasbourg.
25. Les monnaies de Corse et de Provence.
26. Les monnaies de Monaco.
27. De munten van Vlaanderen (III).
28. Les déniers a la croix brabanconne.
29. Repertoire des méreaux belges (A/L)
30. Les contremarques sur les monnaies
31. Le Gros Tournois et ses imitations.
32. De nederlandse nood-betalingsbonnen.
33. Repertoire des méreaux belges (M/Z)
34. Tableau chronologique et onosmatique des règnants d' Europe
35. Les monnaies de Looz et de ses fiefs.
36. Les bons valeurs de Namur et du Luxembourg
37. Les bon-valeur du Hainaut (A/L)
38. Les monnaies des comtes de Flandre (1244-1384).