The World Encyclopedia of Coins and Coin Collecting: The definitive illustrated reference to the world's greatest coins and a professional guide to building ... featuring over 3000 colour images
by James Mackay
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Book Summary Information
Author: James MackayEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2007-04-25
ISBN: 0754816141
Number of pages: 256
Publisher: Lorenz Books
Book Reviews of The World Encyclopedia of Coins and Coin Collecting: The definitive illustrated reference to the world's greatest coins and a professional guide to building ... featuring over 3000 colour images
Book Review: Very Nicely illustrated, errors in text
Summary: 4 Stars
I purchased a copy of "The Complete Illustrated Guide to Coins and Coin Collecting" by Dr James Mackay. This is a paperback edition of encyclopedia with similar cover. I found it a beautifully illustrated book but was Shocked to read the text of the introduction to Sri Lanka. It contained many factual errors and reflected a total ignorance of the History and Numismatics of Sri Lanka.
Let me point out a few.
1) Lankan coinage is documented from 3rd Century B.C.
2) The Chola were from south India and invaded Lanka only in 985 and subjugated the Sinhala who migrated and took over the island from the indigenous Veddahs in the 5th Century B. C.
3) Images [1-2] is a Portuguese Tanga counter-marked by dutch
4) The rupee was not in par with the Rix dollar
1 1/3 (i.e. 4/3) rupees equaled 1 Rix Dollar in 1821
5) The 1/3 Farthing did not circulate in Lanka.
6) Images [3-4] is a half cent from 1870 not a fraction of farthing
7) There was no Local currency from 1839 to 1868 - Indian Silver was used along side British brass.
8) The new emblem was adopted in 1972 coins.
9) Images [13-16] were of commemorative coins issued after 1990
10) The Images [13-14] is slightly smaller than actual size.
In view of these numerous errors in a short bit of text of which I am an expert, I have lost all confidence in the text printed in the guide. I strongly suggest that like Krause, Anness publications, get experts in the numismatics to review and correct the text for each country.
In views of these errors I have corrected the text below and hope this modified text will be used in any future reprints of this Guide or Encyclopedia.
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A number of islands in the Indian Ocean, which were formerly part of the British or French colonial empires, issue their own coins. They range from Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon), which has a coinage dating back to the 3rd century BC, to the territories that have adopted distinctive coins only in quite recent times.
Following the capture of the island of Ceylon from the Dutch in 1796, and its proclamation as a British crown colony six years later, copper coins were issued by the British in 1802. They bore an Asian elephant on one side and the value or the effigy of George III on the other.
SRI LANKA
The earliest coins were Punch Mark silver of northern India. The Ancient coins of Lanka had the railed Swastika. Medieval Gold, Silver and Copper coins with Standing King "Ceylon Type" were issued from 9th to 15th Century. Coastal area of the island was under Chinese control from 1408 to 1438. Portuguese arrived in 1505. They, in turn, were supplanted by the Dutch in 1658, who counter-marked the Portuguese silver tangas [1-2].
The British took over the Dutch territories in 1796 and made the island into a crown colony in 1802. The British retained the Indo-Dutch currency system, based on the rix-dollar, divided into 48 stivers, or 12 fanams. From 1839 to 1868 British half and quarter farthings and silver three-half-pence also circulated in Ceylon, in addition to Indian silver coinage. In 1872 the currency was decimalized, and the rupee of 100 cents was adopted. Bronze coins of this series [3-4] bore the profile of the reigning monarch (obverse) and a palm tree (reverse) while the silver, or later nickel, coins had the value in numerals in an ornamental reverse [5-8].
Ceylon became a dominion in 1948 but continued to issue coins with the monarch's effigy until 1957. Thereafter the national emblem was substituted in a series introduced in 1963, with name of country in Sinhala and Tamil in addition to English [9-11]. In 1972 the island became a republic under the name of Sri Lanka ("resplendent island") and adopted a new emblem on obverse [12]. A few commemoratives have been produced since 1957, when the 2500th anniversary of Buddhism was celebrated, and many more since 1990 [13-16].
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Summary of The World Encyclopedia of Coins and Coin Collecting: The definitive illustrated reference to the world's greatest coins and a professional guide to building ... featuring over 3000 colour images
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