By James M. Bucki, Sr.
100 Greatest Women on Coins is Whitman Publishing’s tenth addition to the “100 Greatest” book series. “This book is a celebration of women’s impact on numismatics,” says award-winning author Ron Guth. The forward is written by Charmy Harker (a.k.a. The Penny Lady®), who was also President of the Women in Numismatics organization. The coffee table-sized book is hard-covered, printed on high quality glossy paper, and features high-resolution color photographs of coins and significant historical artifacts.
More Than a Most Valuable Coin Listing
Unlike other coin books that focus on statistics, coin values, and prices, this book will take you on a historical journey that features women on coins. The author goes beyond real women and includes queens, princesses, empresses, actresses, political, allegorical statues, religious leaders, goddesses, and fictitious women created through masterpieces of art. More than 700 subjects were considered, voted on, and ranked by members of Women in Numismatics to determine the 100 Greatest Women on Coins.
Real women such as Mary (the mother of Jesus), Helen Keller, Mother Teresa, Princess Diana, Betsy Ross, Martha Washington, and Queen Elizabeth II are featured. Goddesses, including Athena, Minerva, Nike, Medusa, and Alexandria, are also recognized. Allegorical women depicting Cinderella, Liberty, Justice, Freedom, Education, Una, Mother Earth, and Yellow Rose (World War II nose art) are also documented.
100 Greatest Women on Coins is a celebration of the hundreds of women who have appeared on coins from ancient times to the present,” says Guth. “This is a book about mothers, daughters, sisters, wives, empresses, queens, ballerinas, athletes, goddesses, regents, allegorical figures, and the many forms in which women have appeared on coins. It’s the story of women who have made important contributions to history, politics, the arts, the sciences, and myriad other fields.”
Collecting Difficulty
Anyone looking to assemble a coin collection featuring women on coins will be guided by Guth’s collecting commentary titled “Collecting Difficulty.” For each woman featured he ranks the collecting difficulty as: easy, moderate, difficult, moderately difficult, and extremely difficult. Additionally, he provides advice as to which coins are common and easily located. For coins ranking in the “difficult” category he provides guidance as to where you can acquire these coins if you so choose to pursue them.
A majority of the coins in the book are categorized as “easy.” Although there are some valuable gold and silver pieces, most coins are common pieces that you purchase inexpensively, or you can find in your pocket change.
Bibliography in Appendix
At the end of the book, a detailed bibliography is provided if you would like to learn more about a specific woman or topic that was listed in the book. An appendix listing all the women featured in the book can be used as a checklist if you’d like to assemble a complete collection of the 100 Greatest Women on Coins.
About the Author
Ron Guth is a recognized numismatic authority on United States and German coins. He has been involved professionally in numismatics for nearly 40 years as a collector, dealer, researcher, and writer. He has published over thirteen books and has received numerous literary awards for his efforts.
Product Details
Hardcover: 128 pages
Publisher: Whitman Publishing, LLC (September 22, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0794843360
ISBN-13: 978-0794843366
Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 10.1 x 0.6 inches
Purchase this book: 100 Greatest Women on Coins