The Numismatic Bibliomania Society

PREV ARTICLE       NEXT ARTICLE       FULL ISSUE       PREV FULL ISSUE      

V18 2015 INDEX       E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 18, Number 26, June 28, 2015, Article 18

WORKING WITH FREY'S DICTIONARY OF NUMISMATIC NAMES

Gary Beals has a question about Frey's Dictionary of Numismatic Names. -Editor

Do you know if this reference exists digitally as an easy to use source?

A DICTIONARY OF NUMISMATIC NAMES THEIR OFFICIAL AND POPULAR DESIGNATIONS
ALBERT R. FREY
THE AMERICAN NUMlSMATIC SOCIETY
NEW YORK 1917

I found it on line as a PDF, and downloaded it into MS Word, but now what I have is a 146-page paragraph. Yes, it is all there, in one long stream of text. So I have to put in hard returns to open up to each listing word. I will do the work needed if it does not exist in a orderly form, but I would rather not waste several hours if there is no need to.

I am not sure if a 1917 work is going to be more helpful than newer studies or full of more errors, but it is worth a look. So – Shall I get to work on everyone’s behalf or does someone have this book in a handy form?

Welcome to the joys of digitization! Just because a work is in electronic format doesn't mean it's in a format usable for anything but reading. Len Augsburger and I have been dealing with these issues in our work for the Newman Numismatic Portal project. I'm not aware of a clean, structured version of this information, so I think Gary's efforts would be helpful, and perhaps of use as well to the ANS in their digitization efforts. -Editor

Gary reached out to Dick Johnson as well. -Editor

Dick Johnson writes:

I am very familiar with Frey's dictionary. As a teenager 60 years ago I purchased two copies, cut out each entry and pasted them on color-coded cards. I learned Frey is overloaded with coin names and denominations. I was more interested in the scientific terms in the numismatic field.

When I retired I had time to write the book I had in mind. It became my Encyclopedia of Coin and Medal Technology.

I made a study of the existing numismatic dictionaries in all languages, plus some of the better glossaries.

I doubt Frey is available digitally. I have long since advanced from Frey to other dictionaries. I selected only terms of universal use in numismatics (not denominations and coin names of limited scope).

If you understand German, I recommend Schroder, Worterbuch de Munzenkunde. {1930}

Mentioning Frey brings back a flood of memories. I remember that color code for Frey's terms; pink cards for coin denominations, blue for coin names, green for paper money terms, white for economic terms, odd and curious, miscellaneous, and salmon color for technical terms. It was the salmon terms that held the most interest for me.

In my sophomore year in college I took a course in philosophy, the professor instilled in me an interest in words and their meanings. After that year I thought I would never go on to college, so I planned to teach myself. I wanted to learn numismatic terms so I bought the most expensive Webster's Dictionary. It was leather bound and had a history section in the back. I loved that book. I poured over it for hours, copying terms and entered these on my color cards. That dictionary is still in my library -- now with broken spine and dog-eared pages.

After four years in the military service I was able to go back to college, Washington University in St. Louis. I had an apartment off campus and filled it with numismatic books, and that file of colored cards. Eric Newman visited me several times in that apartment (he lived on one side of Washington U campus, I lived on the other). We talked for hours about numismatics and the books on my library shelves. And also that card file of terms.

Years after college I moved from one job to the next. I never lost interest in numismatic terms, however (but did dispose of that card file along the way). In retirement I gathered all those terms again and wrote Encyclopedia of Coin and Medal Terms.

THE BOOK BAZARRE

SELECTIONS FROM THE JOHN HUFFMAN LIBRARY: Browse and Shop Approximately 3,000 Numismatic Books from the Respected Library of John Huffman—All Books Recently Discounted 40%. Click here or go to www.SecondStorybooks.com click on “All Subjects” and select “John Huffman Collection”


Wayne Homren, Editor

Google
 
NBS (coinbooks.org) Web

The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org.

To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com

To subscribe go to: https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum

PREV ARTICLE       NEXT ARTICLE       FULL ISSUE       PREV FULL ISSUE      

V18 2015 INDEX       E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

Copyright © 1998 - 2020 The Numismatic Bibliomania Society (NBS)
All Rights Reserved.

NBS Home Page
Contact the NBS webmaster
coin