Independent Book Review for Treasure Hunter magazine, April 2005 issue.

Publication Date: February 5th 2005

We’ve all experienced a coin identity crisis: a detector bleeps… a clod of earth turns… a partially crudded Roman bronze that might be… just could be… a scarce sestertius we’ve long dreamed of adding to the collection. But the expensive hardback catalogue that might instantly identify the emperor and confirm our hopes lies safe and sound on the bookshelf back home.  In the middle of a ploughed field we can do no more than thrust the coin into our finds bag and worry for the rest of the day, not only spoiling our fun, but deflecting concentration from the crucial task of listening for those deep signals.

But wait… What’s this stuffed into the inside pocket of your anorak? Why, it’s a copy of the latest edition of Roman Base Metal Coins - A Price Guide hot off the presses of Rotographic; a slim 80-page paperback generously peppered with more than 640 line drawings depicting almost every Roman emperor who ever donned a purple toga. Salvation – for just £5.95 from any well-stocked detector retailer! And as with all the fact-packed paperbacks in this series, there’s much more worth discovering as the pages turn: notes on Latin pronunciation; a pictorial section devoted to the commoner Roman reverse types; a potted history of Rome and the Romans that begins in 753 BC; some notes on coin cleaning; even a useful millimetre measure. Yet despite the wealth of information, the pages have an uncluttered layout, with emperors’ portraits neatly drawn and legends clearly printed.

This little book is certainly a must for every newcomer to detecting who hopes to add some Roman finds to his collection. It’s also a handy pocket reference for the experienced hunter who discovers Roman coins on every outing. The accurately sized illustrations should make identification of any Roman base metal types that come to light very easy. And the pricing guidance will ensure that valuable finds are not overlooked.

The publisher can be contacted via www.rotographic.co.uk or phone 0871 871 5122.

16th February 2005