| Reviews
of Volume II
“The format is identical to Volume I, which I reviewed
in November 2007. Much of what I said then still applies to
Volume II:
… I have to say this is probably one of the best books
I've ever seen on a topical numismatic subject. No mere catalog,
the book delves deeply into the background of each coin, providing
anywhere from a few sentences to a full page of information
about each coin, its history and design, and the history of
the watercraft depicted.
… Krause–Mishler (KM) numbers are used,
providing easy cross-reference to the standard price catalogues.
This is ideal, for a topical book has a far longer shelf-life
than price catalogs, and had any prices been included they
would quickly become outdated.
… QUICK QUIZ: which coins in the U.S. Statehood Quarter
Dollar series picture watercraft? They are all listed and
pictured here. How many other U.S. coins (including commemoratives)
picture watercraft? This chapter of the book would make a
great guide for building an interesting collection and exhibit
of U.S. coins.
… There are quite a few coin designs that I really like.
Some of the U.S. design are among them, but I also like a
1964 25 fils coins from Yemen, picturing a traditional fishing
dhow (p. 331).
… The volume passes my back-of-the-book test: there
is a detailed six-page index and an impressive five-page Select
Bibliography. Thoughtfully included is a section with additions
and errata to Volume I, Europe.” Numismatic Bibliomania
“The first thing I did when I got my hands on Dotan’s
Watercraft, Volume II, was to turn to the
section on Canada to see how he described our famous voyageur
silver dollar. He devotes a page and a half to our iconic
dollar coin, with detailed descriptions of the voyageur, the
aboriginal guide, the rays of the aurora borealis and the
rocky island in the background with the wind-swept pines.
(He even includes a footnote about the disappearance of the
voyageur dies that were supposed to have been used for the
aureate circulating dollar coin. The loss of these dies forced
the Royal Canadian Mint to use a backup design to produce
the dollar coin known as the ‘loonie.’)
… Yossi Dotan is described as a numisnautical researcher.
He has collected ‘ship coins’ for over thirty
years. Since his retirement as an accountant he has done extensive
research on ships on coins and written the appropriate narratives.
… Dotan’s attention to detail is evident in the
descriptions of nearly every coin in the book. For the numismatist,
he writes about the coin’s size, metallic content and
year (or years) of issue. For the mariner, he provides details
about the ship’s size, function, history, destination,
and, in some cases, the ultimate fate of the vessel. Even
if the ship is only a tiny part of the coin’s design,
we get a detailed description. For example, the Caribbean
island of Dominica has its coat of arms on the four dollar
coin dated 1970. In this case, the ship is a small native
craft in the lower left quadrant of the shield. You almost
have to look twice to find the ship.
… All types of sailing vessels have been described on
coins, from Noah’s Ark (Israel) to the Titanic (North
Korea), from a rowboat (USA) to a large ocean liner (Bermuda),
from an Olympic catamaran (Aruba) to a threemasted in full
sail (China, among others).
… Dotan has incorporated several improvements in Volume
II. There are about 500 coin photos, more than twice as many
as in Volume I. He has three pages of ‘Additions and
Corrections’ to Volume I. Also there is an extensive
index and bibliography. The only typos that eluded his proofreaders
were his description of coins from the British Antarctic Territory.
These coins mark the 100st (sic) Anniversary of the Declaration
of British Sovereignty in the area.
… This book will appeal to the casual topical collector,
to the dedicated numismatist and to the naval historian. I
look forward to Dotan’s Volume III, Africa and Oceania,
1800 – which is in preparation.” Review by
Marvin Kay, past president of the Canadian Numismatic Association,
in the North York Coin Club Bulletin and The Canadian
Numismatic Journal
“Author Yossi Dotan, who calls himself a ‘numisnautical
researcher,’ has produced Watercraft on World Coin,
Vol. II: America and Asia, 1800–2008, the second
of a triloty. The book is organized as a catalog of “ship
coins” according to the Krause–Mishler
numbering system from Standard Catalog of World Coins
by Chester Krause and Clifford Mishler.
… Dotan, a retired certified public accountant, is a
contributor to the Krause–Mishler catalogs.
The listings are presented geographically, and then organized
chronologically, oldest-to-newest. Dotan’s research
is detailed and his narratives about ships are aimed at all
students of naval warfare, shipping and numismatics. Each
narrative provides the historical background and watercraft
experience and circumstance of the military personnel, admirals
and generals, explorers, naval commanders and fishermen, among
others, that have earned a place in the historical record
and that have been featured on coins in their honor.
… Coins that have a common design are grouped under
separate headings. Also included are both circulating coins
and collector-oriented commemoratives. More than 500 coin
images featured throughout represent the many different ways
in which ships are depicted on coins. The second volume features
more than 600 narratives in its 360 pages, and follows the
publication in 2007 of Volume I, which covers European issues
from 1800 to 2005. An addendum and errata for volume I appears
with volume II. The final volume, presenting ship coins issued
by nations in Africa and Oceania through 2011, is planned
for publication in 2013.” Coin World
“Those interested in coins with ships or other nautical
motifs will derive lots of reading and collecting pleasure
from purchasing this book.” Dutch coin monthly magazine,
Muntkoerier
Reviews of Volume I
Tijdschriftt voor Zeegeschiedenis has a full review
of Volume I in Dutch in its Autumn 2008 publication.
“In this 276-page volume, Dotan describes
205 years of European coins portraying every imaginable type
of ship. He describes various types of watercraft, from an
ancient trireme (about 500 BC) to World War II battleships.
His work covers every European country from Albania to Yugoslavia.
Each coin is identified by its Krause–Mischler World
Coin Catalogue (KM) number, its denomination, date of issue
and metallic composition. A high quality black and white image
accompanies many of the descriptions. For each coin listed
there is a detailed description of the ship depicted on the
coin – its length, tonnage, launch date, speed, its
place in history and, in some cases, its ultimate demise.”
The CN Journal, the official publication of the Canadian Numismatic
Association
“With Yossi Dotan’s work there is finally a new
manual of numisnautics, which will be a valuable aid for many
collectors. .. The book is obviously directed in the first
place to U.S. collectors. Thus, following each country name,
there is a short indication where the state is located in
Europe. But as soon as the two other volumes for America and
Asia (Vol. II) and for Africa and Oceania (Vol. III) will
be available, many European collectors will find the data
useful with respect to countries there. The outstanding characteristic
of the book is its user friendliness. … This work is
an all-round success, filling a painfully felt gap. Without
it, numisnautists would be much poorer in the future.”
Numisnautik
“This is probably one of the best books I’ve ever seen on
a topical numismatic subject. No mere catalog, the book delves
deeply into the background of each coin, providing anywhere from
a few sentences to a full page of information about each coin,
its history and design, and the history of the watercraft depicted.” E-Sylum
“In the realm of
coins there are two major hobbyists, the collector and the numismatist.
The former merely amasses coins for the pleasure of having them
while the latter goes much further. The numismatist strives to
uncover the history including every fascinating detail associated
with each coin. Mr. Yossi Dotan is definitely a numismatist and
in the field of coins depicting watercraft is one of its foremost
authorities. In fact it is highly doubtful that any person exceeds
his knowledge of SHIP COINS. His book shares this learning of
many decades; it is a most needed tool for collectors, numismatists,
and historians.” Dr. Lloryel W. Antoine, Ed.D, CPO
USN (retired), of Florida, USA wrote a monthly column on "ship coins" in
World Coin News for five years in the 1990s, and is the author
of the book Nautical Numismatics
“Yossi Dotan’s Watercraft on World Coins: Volume I – Europe
1800-2005 will
long be the standard of numismatic topical descriptions. His research is richly
detailed and the narratives of ships – particularly
fighting ships, but also cargo carriers – of the last two centuries
is not only
amazingly accurate but also extremely
interesting reading for all students of naval warfare, shipping,
and of course, numismatics. I highly recommend this book for
the library of any numismatist as well as anyone interested
in naval history.” Mr. Charles R. Hosch of Georgia, USA
is the author of Heraldic Coats of Arms on Coins of the World,
1700–1998:
Complete Descriptions (1998) and World Gold Proof Sets Since
1900 – Complete Descriptions (2002)
“Thanks to Yossi Dotan's research journey, the
Watercraft on World Coins series is unique. These
coins form the basis for exciting and intriguing tales.”
Cees van Romburgh, Maritime Historian, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
“With thoughtful story-lines, excellent research and superb illustrations,
this book is an exciting literary journey to hundreds of distant
and exotic shores. This comprehensive study of watercraft depicted
on coins will be of interest not only to maritime history enthusiasts,
but also to coin collectors and numismatists.” Cecilia
Meir, Curator of the Kadman Numismatic Pavilion, Eretz Israel
Museum, Tel Aviv
“This volume, with its presentation
of comprehensive data for each ship, fills a long-existing
gap. The book raises high
expectations for the next two volumes and may even give rise
to a sequel that will narrate coins (and perhaps even tokens)
of the 17th and 18th centuries.” Harm-Henning Kuhlmann,
editor of Numisnautik
“‘Ship coins’ have fascinated
Dotan for more than 30 years. Extensive research has taken
him to libraries in three continents. He lectures on the subject
and has published articles and numismatic periodicals in Canada,
Germany and the United States. Dotan’s research is detailed
and his narratives about ships are aimed at all students of
naval warfare, shipping and numismatics.
… Each narrative provides the historical background
and watercraft experience and circumstance of the soldiers,
sailors, admirals and generals, exploring the naval commanders
and fishermen that have earned a place in the historical record
and that have been featured on coins in their honor.
… According to the publisher, this book is the first
ever to narrate history through the medium of ships featured
on coins. Each entry contains the available information about
the ships, when possible including length, beam, depth and
tonnage.
… The book constitutes a catalog of ship coins organized
according to the popular Krause-Mishler numbering system (from
Standard Catalog of World Coins by Chester Krause and Clifford
Mishler), with groupings under separate headings where coins
have a ship design in common. The coin images represent the
many different ways in which the ships are depicted. Each
volume contains a select bibliography and an index listing
the ships, persons and other major topics covered in the narratives.”
Coin World
“Wir haben auf S. 39 der Nr. 29 der
NUMISNAUTIK den ersten Band von Yossi Dotan's Watercraft
on World Coins besprochen und zum Schluss den Wunsch
geäußert, es möge dem Autor (und dem Verlag) gelingen, die
beiden noch ausstehende Bände des Werkes bald fertig zu stellen.
Der Wunsch geht in Erfüllung. Vor mir liegt der zweite Band
des auf drei Bände geplanten Werkes, und wo kaum noch eine
Verbesserung möglich schien, hier ist es geschehen: Alle guten
Eigenschaften sind erhalten geblieben, doch die Zahl der Abbildungen
hat sich erhöht, für gut 600 Münzbeschreibungen gibt es nun
mehr als 500 Abbildungen, alle in Crown-Größe!
… Doch für alle neuen Leser der Reihe nach.
… Nach dem Inhaltsverzeichnis- getrennt nach Amerika
und Asien-folgt ein Vorwort, das die Beschreibungen der Münzen
erläutert, das Nummerierungssystem erklärt, es folgt den KM-Nummern
des Standard Catalog of World Coins, und die Illustrationen
beschreibt. Abkürzungen werden erklärt und ein Dank an die
Helfer und Vorbilder, darunter auch Wolf Mueller-Reichau,
der Gründer der Flaschenpost, ausgesprochen. Diesem Vorwort
folgt noch eine eineinhalbseitige Anerkennung von weiteren
Personen und Institutionen und Zeitungen, denen sich der Autor
verpflichtet fühlt.
… Diesen vorangestellten Teilen folgt nun der Abschnitt
A (Amerika) beginnend mit Anguilla und nach 235 Seiten mit
Venezuela schließend der erste Abschnitt des Katalogs. Er
enthält alle Schiffsmünzen der Staaten in Beschreibung und
meistens Bild. Die Beschreibung beginnt mit der KM-Nummer,
dem Wert, dem Ausgabejahr, dem Münzmetall und der Angabe des
Feinheits des Metalls. Zeigen wir an dem Beispiel der Umlaufmünze
zu 5 Pesos von Argentinien, wie der Autor verfährt: KM 59,
5 pesos 1961-68, Nickel beschichteter Stahl, zwölfseitiger
Rohling, und unter der Abbildung steht noch der Originaldurchmesser
21,5 mm. Diesen Angaben folgt nun die Münzbeschreibung mit
Namen und, wo nötig, die Erklärung von Abkürzungen, dann die
Bauwerft mit Baujahr. Dotan gibt die Maße des Schiffs in feet
und Metern an, die Geschwindigkeit, die mit der (Hilfs-)Maschine
erreicht werden kann, die Bedeutung ihres Namens und die Zahl
und Ziele ihrer Reisen. Zum Schluß ist das Schicksal des Schiffs
erwähnt. Diese Angaben sind natürlich nur dann so vollständig,
wenn sie dem Autor erreichbar waren. Der Abschnitt B (Asien)
ist gerade so gestaltet. Zum Schluss folgt eine Literaturliste,
Korrekturen zum Bd. 1 und ein ausführlicher Index. Herz, was
willst du mehr! Ein großartiges Werk! Viiiel Erfolg!”
Numisnautik, Nr. 35, Spring 2011, p. 35
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