Noehden, George Henry. Specimens of Ancient Coins of Magna Graecia and Sicily Selected from the Cabinet of The Right Hon. The Lord Northwick. London. 1826. 63 pages. About Very Fine.14.25 x 10.75 inches. Hardbound in red full morocco with fillets, and decorative borders to match the dentelles, all in gilt. The spine is divided by five double raised bands, each gilt in between, with the second of six resulting panels lettered in gilt, the remaining ones filled with gilt sprays. Lettered at the foot of the spine, LONDON 1826, also in gilt. Inside will be found 21 handsome steel engraved plates, each with protective papers. Each of 20 of the plates features the obverse and reverse designs of a single classic ancient Greek coin, along with an indication of actual size and an identifier below. The first plate is an obverse only, depicting a “Medallion of Syracuse.” Each plate bears the imprint of the artists who drew and engraved them, given also on the title page as Del Frate, and Henry Moses, respectively. Bookplate inside the front flyleaf of Sir Charles Cockerell, 1st Baronet (1755-1837), and certainly the original owner of this volume. Cockerell was a long-time member of the English House of Commons and previously an official of the East India Company. A second, later bookplate of William Carr inside the front cover, hand-dated Jul. 26, 1903. The binding is firm and the interior is mostly bright and clean, though occasional pages are foxed to varying degrees. One of just 250 copies issued and arguably as much a work of art as it is one of reference.From the D. Brent Pogue Library. Earlier ex Sir Charles Cockerell, 1st Baronet; William Carr, ca. 1903; John F. Bergman Library, George Frederick Kolbe, October 2001, lot 169; Craig and Ruanne Smith Numismatic Library, George Frederick Kolbe, June 2005, lot 41.
