Smith, A.M. ILLUSTRATED ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF GOLD AND SILVER COINS OF THE WORLD; ILLUSTRATING THE MODERN, ANCIENT, CURRENT AND CURIOUS, FROM A.D. 1885 BACK TO B.C. 700... Philadelphia, 1886. Thick 8vo, original russet cloth decoratively stamped in black and gilt. 511, (1) pages; finely engraved frontispiece portrait of the author; lithographic title preceding the printed title; numerous text illustrations. John A. Beck’s name on front flyleaf. A bit shaken; very good or better. A 19th-century American numismatic bestseller, issued in a wide variety of publisher’s cloth bindings, most incorporating on the upper cover, as here, Smith’s device of a buxom Miss Liberty astride an eagle in flight, with a balance in one hand, dispensing coins from the horn of plenty from the other. Primarily a wine merchant, Smith (born Anders Madsen Schmidt in Denmark) became interested in numismatics in the mid-1870s and published several works on coins before this, his numismatic magnum opus, appeared. This is a well-preserved copy, overall, though a bit shaken. Davis 937. Ex John A. Beck Library; ex Wayne Homren Library.