Excerpt from Ancient Greek Coins, Vol. 1 To the numismatist, since the days of Petrarch the first coin collector of whom as such we have record, this branch of the science has always pre sented peculiar attractions. Here he can study a coin-series which, beginning with the rude bean-shaped productions of a few primitive dies in the earliest days of the invention, gradually improved in fabric and style, and expanded in scope and extent, until at last throughout the whole of the known world its varied and beautiful issues formed for centuries the only recognized medium of exchange. Before the art-lover there is unfolded a succession of original has-reliefs, which limited indeed by size and shape, yet reflect most clearly the salient characteristics of the great contemporary schools of sculpture and painting. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.