Coin catalogues: which reference do you need?

Which coin catalogue you need depends on the region and period of your coin. For Dutch coins from 1795 onwards it is the Handboek der Nederlandse munten 1795-1975 by Schulman, abbreviated to Sch. in references, for the Southern Netherlands between 1434 and 1830 the work by Vanhoudt, for Roman imperial coins Roman Imperial Coinage (RIC), and for world coins the Standard Catalog of World Coins (KM). Below you will find the leading work for each coin region.

Schulman b.v. has been describing coins in auction catalogues since 1880, and almost every lot carries a reference to the standard work in which that type is recorded. For Dutch coins that standard work is our own book: the Handboek der Nederlandse munten 1795-1975 was compiled and published by Schulman, which is where the abbreviation Sch. comes from that you will find in auction descriptions worldwide. The Muntalmanak published by the NVMH, the most widely used Dutch coin catalogue, also applies that Sch. numbering to Dutch coins and so refers back to this handbook. This page explains which work belongs to which coin, how to read such a reference, and where the limits of any catalogue lie. At the bottom you will find a selection of the main works we use.

Identifying your coin in three steps

A catalogue number is the fixed identifier of a coin type. Once you have that number, you can specify exactly which coin you mean anywhere in the world. It takes three steps.

1. Establish region and period. Read what the coin itself tells you: the date, the language of the legend, the coat of arms, the name of the ruler or province. A coin reading "Willem III Koning der Nederlanden" and dated 1875 belongs to a different corpus than a provincial coin of West Friesland from 1791.
2. Choose the matching standard work. Use the table below. If your coin sits on a boundary, for instance a Dutch coin struck just before 1795, consult both works.
3. Write the reference out in full. Note the abbreviation, volume and number, so "Sch. 553" or "RIC II.3 123". A number without the work means nothing.

Not sure which period your coin comes from? What is numismatics explains how coin periods relate to one another, and how to recognise rare coins covers the features to look at first.

Which catalogue belongs to which coin?

These are the works consulted most often in practice, arranged by coin region. Each work is followed by the abbreviation as it appears in auction descriptions.

The main abbreviations per coin region are set out at the bottom of this page.

How to read a catalogue reference

A reference has three parts: the work, the volume where applicable, and the number of the coin type.

• Sch. 553 means: the Handboek der Nederlandse munten by Schulman, coin type 553.
• RIC II.3 123 means: Roman Imperial Coinage, volume II part 3, type 123.
• Vanhoudt 407 means: the work by Vanhoudt, coin type 407. Vanhoudt numbers continuously, so without a volume number.
• PW. II 123 means: Purmer & Van der Wiel, volume II, number 123.

Where two references appear for a single coin, the first is the leading work for that region and the second is a supplement. This is common for pieces recorded in more than one corpus, such as a medal described both by Van Loon and in a more recent supplement.

Pay attention to the edition as well. Standard works are revised, and a number can shift between editions. For revised volumes such as RIC II.3 from 2019 we therefore always state volume and part.

Printed reference or online catalogue?

For quickly recognising a coin an online catalogue often works best, because you can search on image and date. Freely accessible collector databases cover the common coin types of most countries and usually give you the right type within a minute.

For attribution at variant level the printed corpus remains authoritative. Mint master marks, overstrikes, patterns and die varieties are rarely recorded in full in an online database, yet those details are exactly what separates a common piece from a rare one. The Royal Dutch Mint also publishes catalogues for its own modern issues.

In our own auction catalogues the abbreviations used are listed at the front, and each lot carries the literature reference plus images of obverse and reverse. That makes an auction catalogue a reference work in its own right: you see not only the type, but also what a comparable example realised.

Why the catalogue price is not your proceeds

Many catalogues list guide prices per grade. Those figures are a snapshot, not an offer. Three things shift them.

1. Editions age. A catalogue from 2015 reflects the market of 2015. With precious metal the floor under the price also moves with the gold and silver price.
2. Grade weighs more heavily than type. On rare coins a single grade can mean a multiple. How grading works is explained in coin grading, and why you should never clean a coin is covered in this article on cleaning. Original patina is part of the value.
3. Rarity is rarely recorded in full. Mintage figures do not tell you how many examples still exist, let alone how many survive in top grade.

If you want to know what your coin actually realises, the catalogue is the starting point and not the answer. How to determine what your old coins are worth sets out the factors that build the price, and selling coins shows which routes to market are available.

Main abbreviations per coin region

This is a selection of the works we use most often in auction catalogues and descriptions. It is not exhaustive: specialised fields have monographs and article series of their own, which we cite per lot.

Ancient coins

Medieval and early modern

The Low Countries

World and modern

Medals, orders and weights

Paper money and emergency money

Your coin is not in the catalogue

This happens more often than you would think, and it rarely means the coin is worthless. There are three usual causes: you are searching the wrong corpus, the piece is a variant described only in a specialised monograph, or it is a piedfort, pattern or off-metal strike. That last category is typically rarer than the regular issue.

If you get stuck on a reference or cannot find your coin, get in touch. Our experts will look with you and help you to the right page reference. If you also want to know what the piece is worth, request a free appraisal.