Publications and Clubs Offer Help

Question: I am interested in collecting medieval and ancient coins of Europe. What are the magazines and guidebooks for this branch of numismatics?--S.P.

Answer: Medieval and ancient coins are alive and kicking, as the recent Long Beach Coin Show attests. A special section was set aside for this branch of collecting and activity seemed to be brisk.

As for involvement, for starters you might consider two clubs that concentrate on this area of collecting. One is the Ancient Coin Club of Los Angeles. It meets at 2 p.m. on the first Sunday of the month at Mercury Savings & Loan, 14801 Ventura Blvd., Encino. The mailing address is P.O. Box 227, Canoga Park, Calif. 91305. Another club is the Southern California Ancient Numismatic Society, which meets on the third Sunday of the month at 2:30 p.m. at Mercury Savings & Loan, 5201 Laurel Canyon Blvd., North Hollywood. The mailing address is P.O. Box 221, Tarzana, Calif. 91356.

As for publications, Joel Malter issues a quarterly, the Collectors’ Journal of Ancient Art. Malter can be reached at 16661 Ventura Blvd., Suite 518, Encino, Calif. 91436; telephone (818) 784-7772. Another publication that usually has medieval and ancient coin articles is the monthly Numismatist, published by the American Numismatic Assn., 818 N. Cascade Ave., Colorado Springs, Colo. 80903-3279.

Coin News

Two silver proof 2-pound coins (pictured) have been struck by the British Royal Mint to commemorate the tercentenary of the English Bill of Rights and the Scottish Claim of Right. Mintages are limited to 25,000 for each coin, now only available as a set. The same basic reverse design of the 2-pound coins is by English sculptor John Lobban. The obverse features the 1985 portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Raphael Maklouof. The two 2-pound silver proof set is $64.95 from the British Royal Mint, P.O. Box 2570, Woodside, N.Y. 11377-9864; telephone (800) 543-0237.