The Department of Coins, Medals, and Antiquities at the National Library of France(Bbibliothèque Nationale) boasts the world's most extraordinary collection of French royal gold coins. Anew two-volume set on them was just published by Editions Gadoury of Monaco and the NationalLibrary that is a virtual catalog of the collection, including its many extremely rare and uniquespecimens.

The 320 pages in volume 1 of Catalogue de Monnaies Royales Françaises lists and describes thegold coinage of Louis IX to Louis XII (1226-1514). The second one is 304 pages and focuses on thegold coins from the reigns of François I to Louis XVI (1515-1793). Coins are fully described in Frenchwith 1,000 illustrations in color and in actual size. The date, weight, and how each piece was acquiredare cited, as are cross references. There is also a bibliography.

The catalog has been compiled by Jean-Yves Kind, an archivist and former special advisor on theConservation of Treaties at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He has managed the French coin collectionat the National Library of France since 2009. He is a prolific author of numerous books and articles onnumismatics, primarily published in the Revue Numismatique and the Bulletin of the French NumismaticSociety.

Each hard bound book measures 12 x 8.25 inches. The set comes in a slipcase and will beavailable in August. It is $135.00 plus $7.75 shipping and handling in the U.S. Contact Coin & CurrencyInstitute, 34 Blair Park Road, Suite 104-188, Williston, Vermont 05495. Toll-free 1-800-421-1866. Fax802-536-4787. E-mail: mail@coin-currency.com. Ordering information and sample pages are atwww.coin-currency.com.

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
NEW BOOK: CATALOG OF FRENCH ROYAL GOLD COINS(https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n23a04.html)