Coin Price Guides
Roman Imperial Coinage
Roman Imperial Coinage (RIC) is a British catalog on coins issued under the Roman Empire. The 10-volume first edition, comprised of 13 books (Volumes 4 and 5 required multiple books), spans 520 years of Roman minting from the time of the Battle of Actium (31 BC) to Late Antiquity in 491 AD. It is the standard work for numismatic identification of coinage struck by authorization of the Roman emperors. Its publication was itself a monumental undertaking covering many decades of work. Begun in 1923 with a volume covering Augustus to Vitellius, the series was completed in 1994, ending with the emperor Zeno. It is a succesor to the the previous 8-volume catalogue compiled by the numismatist Henry Cohen in the 19th Century.
The production of a chronological catalog of Roman Imperial coinage was started in 1923 by Harold Mattingly, a numismatist at the British Museum, assisted by Edward Allen Sydenham. Although Cohen had classified the coins by emperor, and then alphabetically by the legend (text) on them, Mattingly broke down the classification further into which foundry, and in which series, from which each coin came. Each emperor is given a detailed history of the coinage of his reign, with a classification of the type of money, and within each type a registration, from its inscription. For each coin listed, there is a description of both the obverse and reverse sides of the coin, and a notation depending on the rarity of known examples.
Mattingly and Sydenham were joined by C. H. V. Sutherland in producing volumes IVb (1938) and IVc (1949), and by Percy H. Webb for volumes Va (1927) and Vb (1933). After 1930, the editorship of each of the final volumes was given to a specialist of the period. After Mattingly's death in 1964, Sutherland and R. A. G. Carson jointly took over editorship of the work.
The publisher, Spink of London, releases updated volumes as necessary to reflect current research and progression in the field. The first of the second editions was a Sutherland expanded edition of the first volume published in 1984 a decade before the first edition series was complete. Currently, the series is coordinated by Emma Howard of Spink with Michel Amandry, Andrew Burnett, Roger Bland and Chris Howgego serving as general editors. Volume 2 covered a long period from the accession of Vespasian (AD 69) to the death of Hadrian (AD 138). It was poorly illustrated and greatly in need of revision. For the second edition series, it has been split into three parts, the first and last of which have already been published. Additional work is underway on more books, many of which are further divisions of first edition volumes with expanded coverage.
The chart below shows each Roman Imperial Coinage book published in both the first and second edition series. It also shows projects currently underway that will result in future second edition releases. Wizard Coin Supply's book focus is in print books still available from the publisher. For such books below (including future editions) we have provided links to the title in our catalog where it can be purchased or, in the case of future releases, contact information can be recorded to receive notice when it has been published and is available. Imperial Roman Coinage enthusiasts seeking any of the other books are advised to check inventories of dealers in out-of-print and used books. We have included future releases in the table below but be patient. It took over 70 years to complete the first edition and the second edition series has only been underway for a little over half that long!
The production of a chronological catalog of Roman Imperial coinage was started in 1923 by Harold Mattingly, a numismatist at the British Museum, assisted by Edward Allen Sydenham. Although Cohen had classified the coins by emperor, and then alphabetically by the legend (text) on them, Mattingly broke down the classification further into which foundry, and in which series, from which each coin came. Each emperor is given a detailed history of the coinage of his reign, with a classification of the type of money, and within each type a registration, from its inscription. For each coin listed, there is a description of both the obverse and reverse sides of the coin, and a notation depending on the rarity of known examples.
Mattingly and Sydenham were joined by C. H. V. Sutherland in producing volumes IVb (1938) and IVc (1949), and by Percy H. Webb for volumes Va (1927) and Vb (1933). After 1930, the editorship of each of the final volumes was given to a specialist of the period. After Mattingly's death in 1964, Sutherland and R. A. G. Carson jointly took over editorship of the work.
The publisher, Spink of London, releases updated volumes as necessary to reflect current research and progression in the field. The first of the second editions was a Sutherland expanded edition of the first volume published in 1984 a decade before the first edition series was complete. Currently, the series is coordinated by Emma Howard of Spink with Michel Amandry, Andrew Burnett, Roger Bland and Chris Howgego serving as general editors. Volume 2 covered a long period from the accession of Vespasian (AD 69) to the death of Hadrian (AD 138). It was poorly illustrated and greatly in need of revision. For the second edition series, it has been split into three parts, the first and last of which have already been published. Additional work is underway on more books, many of which are further divisions of first edition volumes with expanded coverage.
The chart below shows each Roman Imperial Coinage book published in both the first and second edition series. It also shows projects currently underway that will result in future second edition releases. Wizard Coin Supply's book focus is in print books still available from the publisher. For such books below (including future editions) we have provided links to the title in our catalog where it can be purchased or, in the case of future releases, contact information can be recorded to receive notice when it has been published and is available. Imperial Roman Coinage enthusiasts seeking any of the other books are advised to check inventories of dealers in out-of-print and used books. We have included future releases in the table below but be patient. It took over 70 years to complete the first edition and the second edition series has only been underway for a little over half that long!
| Volume | First Edition | Second Edition | ||
| Volume I | Augustus–Vitellius (31 BC–69 AD) by H. Mattingly and E. A. Sydenham 1923 |
Augustus–Vitellius (31 BC–69 AD) by H. Mattingly and E. A. Sydenham; Revised by C. H. V. Sutherland and R. A. G. Carson 1984 (currently available as a 1999 reprint) |
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| Volume II | Vespasian–Hadrian (69–138) by H. Mattingly and E. A. Sydenham 1926 |
Part 1 | Vespasian to Domitian (69–96) by I. A. Carradice and T. V. Buttrey 2007 |
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| Part 2 | Nerva and Trajan (96-117) by B. Woytek TBD--in active preparation |
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| Part 3 | Hadrian (117-138) by R. A. Abdy with P. F. Mittag 2019 |
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| Volume III | Antoninus Pius–Commodus (138–192) by H. Mattingly and E. A. Sydenham 1930 |
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| Volume IV | Part a | Pertinax–Geta VII and Caracalla (193–217) by H. Mattingly and E. A. Sydenham 1936 |
Part 1 | |
| Part b | Macrinus–Pupienus (217–238) by H. Mattingly, E. A. Sydenham and C. H. V. Sutherland 1930 |
Part 2 | ||
| Part c | Gordian III–Uranius Antoninus (238–253) by H. Mattingly, E. A. Sydenham and C.H.V. Sutherland 1949 |
Part 3 | Gordian III–Uranius Antoninus (238–253) by R. Bland TBD--in active preparation |
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| Volume V | Part a | Valerian–Florian (253–276) by P. H. Webb 1927 |
Part 1 | |
| Part 2 | ||||
| Part 3 | ||||
| Part 4 | Gallic Empire (260-274) by J. Mairat 2023 |
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| Part b | Marcus Aurelius Probus–Maximian (276–310) by P. H. Webb 1933 |
Part 5 | Carausius to Alectus (286-296) by S. Moorhead TBD--in active preparation |
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| Volume VI | The Diocletian Reform–Maximinus II (294–313) by C. H. V. Sutherland 1967 |
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| Volume VII | Constantine I–Licinius (313–337) by P. M. Bruun 1966 |
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| Volume VIII | The Family of Constantine I (337–364) by J. P. C. Kent 1981 |
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| Volume IX | Valentinian I–Theodosius I (364–395) by J. W. E. Pearce, H. Mattingly, Harold (ed.), C. H. V. Sutherland (ed.), and R. A. G. Carson (ed.) 1951 |
Valentinian I–Theodosius I (364–395) by D. Wiggs-Wolf TBD--in active preparation |
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| Volume X | Flavius-Zeno, The Divided Empire, 395–491 by J. P. C. Kent 1994 (currently available as a 2018 reprint) |
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