This book, now available for the first time in an English translation, was published in Dutch in 1732 by lawyer Gerard van Loon. His aim was to give the reader a pleasant and informative tour of the history of coins and medals and the result is an astonishing, entertaining and surprisingly modern numismatic work. The format, layout and plates of this English translation follow closely those of the original edition. This translation opens up to modern readers of all kinds the fascinating thoughts and advice of a numismatist, historian and philosopher who lived and wrote more than a quarter of a millennium age.

Contributions by: Stefan Reichmuth, Razaq Abu Bakre, Muhammad Umar, Hamidu Bobboyi, Roman Loimeier