Pfeiffer

Pfeiffer, H.-J. Die römischen Münzen aus Markianopolis: Sammlung H.-J. Pfeiffer. (Kaarst, 2013).

In German, self-published.

Review of the first edition

Curtis Clay wrote about the first edition of Pfeiffer's catalogue on the Classical Numismatics Discussion in 2011:

This catalogue will certainly be of interest to any specialized collector or student of the coinage of Marcianopolis.

With 827 coins, 45 of which are die-identical duplicates, Pfeiffer's catalogue illustrates the wealth of material from this mint that has become available on the international numismatic market since the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989. Compare the relatively paltry holdings of museum collections that were formed before that date: 215 Marcianopolis in SNG Budapest, 123 in SNG Munich, 91 in BMC, 57 in SNG Copenhagen.

After a brief introduction (pp. 9-14), the bulk of the catalogue is devoted to the presentation of the collection, with color photographs of each coin in natural size followed by description and references directly below each photo, each page generally showing between four and six coins.  The descriptions are detailed, indicating for example punctuation, legend breaks, and ligatures (ligate letters in reduced size); diameter, weight, and die axis; references, above all to AMNG, Varbanov, and Hristova-Jekov; and observed die links to the referenced coins or to other coins in the collection. The average quality of the coins is approximately VF: only a few are EF but, on the other hand, there are almost none that are less than a clear Fine.

Here are a few of the more interesting coins or observations that I have noted so far in the catalogue:

40. Septimius Severus, Standing emperor. Pfeiffer comments that the emperor on the rev. is unbearded, so must represent Caracalla or Geta, probably the latter who had just been made Augustus.

83. Domna, 19 mm, rev. Victory in biga, not in AMNG or HJ, Varb. 882 has description only, no photo.

197. Caracalla and Domna, exceptional obv. die with Caracalla on the r. and Domna on the left, rather than vice versa as usual, and both portraits larger and finer than usual.

299. Macrinus and Diadumenian,  Victory in biga left, two captives seated below the horses. Ex Gorny & Mosch 134, 2004, 1786 = Varbanov 1246, apparently unique.

503-7 and 815. Six coins with the rare portrait combination, Elagabalus and Julia Soaemias, from four different obv. dies and with six rev. types. AMNG 979-81 knew only four coins of Elagabalus and Soaemias in all the world's collections, from two obv. dies and with three rev. types!

2nd edition update

The second edition of 2013 republishes all of the coins from the first edition and adds quite a few new acquisitions. It has become the first book I reach for to look up a coin of Marcianopolis, because while not attempting to be a complete catalogue of the mint's production like AMNG and Varbanov, it does include most of the known types; because it is much more accurate than the sloppy and often erroneous Varbanov; and because every coin described is also illustrated, compared to the much lower percentage of illustrations in Varbanov, and almost none in the otherwise admirable AMNG.