Numismatic Chronicle

Numismatic Chronicle is a scholarly journal published by the Royal Numismatic Society devoted to the study of coins, medals, and monetary artefacts from antiquity to the modern era. The journal has served collectors, curators, and academics associated with institutions such as the British Museum, Ashmolean Museum, Fitzwilliam Museum, Bodleian Library, and the British Library and has engaged scholars connected to universities including University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, University College London, King's College London, and the University of Edinburgh. Its contents intersect with research carried out at archaeological projects like Vindolanda, Çatalhöyük, Pompeii, Herculaneum, and with numismatic cataloguing efforts at the Smithsonian Institution, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Vatican Museums, and the Hermitage Museum.

History

The publication was founded under the auspices of the Royal Numismatic Society in the nineteenth century alongside contemporary learned periodicals such as the Numismatic Journal and paralleled the activities of societies like the Society of Antiquaries of London, the British Archaeological Association, the Institut de France, and the Berlin Society for Anthropology, Ethnology and Prehistory. Early editors and contributors included figures tied to the British Museum—curators who had served under directors like Sir Anthony Panizzi and Sir Frederic Leighton—and scholars from institutions such as King's College London and the University of Oxford. Over time its editorial board featured eminent numismatists associated with collections at the Ashmolean Museum, the Fitzwilliam Museum, the Hunterian Museum, and the Crawford Collection donors linked to the British Academy and the Royal Society. The title evolved through periods of reformatting aligned with scholarly trends seen in journals like The Antiquaries Journal and the Journal of Hellenic Studies, responding to developments from excavations at sites including Athens, Ephesus, Rome, Byzantium, and expeditions sponsored by institutions such as the British School at Athens and the British School at Rome.

Scope and Content

The journal publishes numismatic research covering classical coins from Greece and Rome, medieval issues from Constantinople and Venice, Islamic coinages from Baghdad and Cairo, and modern tokens and medals connected with events like the Napoleonic Wars, the Crimean War, and the Great Exhibition. Articles often analyse issues held in museums such as the British Museum, the Louvre, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the National Museums Liverpool, and draw on archival resources from the Public Record Office, the Bodleian Library, and the Vatican Secret Archives. Contributions address typology and chronology informed by finds from hoards like the Staffordshire Hoard, the Hoxne Hoard, and regional discoveries reported through networks including the Portable Antiquities Scheme and collaborations with the Council for British Archaeology and the Society for Medieval Archaeology.

Editorial Structure and Publication Frequency

The editorial structure comprises an editor-in-chief, an editorial board with specialists linked to universities such as the University of Cambridge, University of Birmingham, University of Glasgow, and external reviewers from institutions including the British Museum, the Hermitage Museum, and the Bibliothèque nationale de France. Publication frequency has varied historically between annual volumes and more frequent issues, echoing patterns found in periodicals like Antiquity and the Bulletin of the American Numismatic Society. Production involves collaboration with printers and publishers connected to learned societies such as the Royal Society and distribution to libraries including the Library of Congress, the National Library of Scotland, and the National Library of Australia.

Notable Contributors and Articles

Prominent contributors have included numismatists and antiquarians whose careers intersected with institutions like the British Museum and universities such as University College London and University of Oxford; names affiliated with major collections and catalogues include scholars comparable to figures associated with the Crawford Collection, the Hoard of Homer's Coinage studies, and cataloguing projects paralleling the work of researchers at the Ashmolean Museum and the Fitzwilliam Museum. Seminal articles have treated coinages of Alexander the Great, monetary reform under Constantine the Great, Islamic dirhams from the Abbasid Caliphate, medieval Venetian grossi, and modern medallic art linked to sculptors and designers active in institutions like the Royal Academy and exhibitions such as the Great Exhibition. The journal has also published major hoard studies and die-link analyses relevant to finds at Levantine ports, Iberian treasuries, Sarmatian frontiers, and coin circulation studies informed by research at the International Numismatic Council and the American Numismatic Society.

Indexing and Access

The periodical is indexed in bibliographic services and catalogues used by libraries including the British Library, the Library of Congress, the National Library of Medicine, and aggregated in databases parallel to those maintained by the JSTOR project and library consortia such as the Research Libraries UK and the Consortium of European Research Libraries. Access is provided through institutional subscriptions held by universities including University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Princeton University, Harvard University, and specialized collections at the American Numismatic Society, with older volumes digitized in partnerships resembling initiatives undertaken by the Internet Archive and national libraries like the Bibliothèque nationale de France.

Category:Numismatics Category:Academic journals published by learned societies