Lucke - Sylloge Numismatum - 1620

FIRST EDITION - THE SYLLOGE OF LUCKE AND THE BIRTH OF MODERN NUMISMATICS
First edition of the Sylloge Numismatum Elegantiorum by Johann Jacob Lucke, published in Strasbourg in 1620, a cornerstone work in the birth of numismatics as an autonomous and scientific discipline. In this volume, money is no longer merely an antiquarian object or a curiosity of collecting, but becomes a primary historical source, a tool for political, genealogical, and iconographic inquiry. The work distinguishes itself by its systematic approach and by its extensive illustrative apparatus, which visually translates the European dynastic power of the 16th century. Friedrich Brentel’s engravings, of extraordinary precision, transform the book into a true atlas of power engraved in metal. This first edition marks a decisive moment in the formalization of numismatics as erudite knowledge.
MARKET VALUE
The first editions of illustrated numismatic treatises from the 17th century are highly sought after. Complete copies generally range between 1,000 and 4,000 euros.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
First Edition. Folio. Contemporary full-leather binding, with wear consistent with age. Frontispiece engraved; heraldic coat of arms engraved on page a2; initials and woodcut headers. Numerous coin illustrations in the text.
There are three unpaginated plates inserted. Page shows intense physiological browning, more pronounced at the frontispiece and the first leaves. Overall a solid and well-bound copy.
In old books, with a centuries-long history, some imperfections may be present that are not always noted in the description.
Collation: pp. (2); 6 nn.; 384; 2 nn.; (4).

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Sylloge Numismatum Elegantiorum.
Argentinae, Typis Reggianis, 1620.
Johann Jacob Lucke.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
The Sylloge Numismatum Elegantiorum represents one of the early systematic attempts to use coins as historical sources for reconstructing the past. Within the context of central European Protestant erudition, numismatics takes on a central role alongside philology and genealogy.
Lucke builds a true narrative of 16th-century European history through coin emissions, using portraits, coats of arms, and legends as tools to identify sovereigns, dynasties, and political successions. Money thus becomes an official document of power, capable of conveying information more reliable than literary sources.
The engravings by Friedrich Brentel, characterized by great precision and clarity, constitute an essential element of the work: they enable not only description but also visual comparison of monetary types. The volume thus stands as a bridge between Renaissance antiquarianism and the modern historical method.

BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Johann Jacob Lucke (1574–1653) was a German numismatist, genealogist, and scholar active in the context of Protestant erudition. His work contributed decisively to transforming numismatics from an antiquarian discipline into a scientific tool for historical reconstruction.
Friedrich Brentel (1580–1651), a highly talented engraver active in Strasbourg, is known for the technical quality of his engravings, particularly valued in heraldic and numismatic repertoires of the 17th century.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
Printed in Strasbourg in 1620, this first edition marks the starting point of the book’s editorial fortune. Strasbourg, a cultural and typographic center of prominence in Protestant Europe, favored the spread of the volume among scholars, collectors, and antiquarians.
The work profoundly influenced later numismatic production, laying the foundations for a discipline that in the course of the 17th century would become increasingly established as an autonomous field of study.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
Cicognara, Leopoldo, Catalogo ragionato dei libri d’arte e d’antichità, Pisa, 1821, no. 2910.
VD17 – Verzeichnis der im deutschen Sprachraum erschienenen Drucke des 17. Jahrhunderts, 3:653580D.
Grierson, Philip, Numismatics, Oxford University Press, 1975, pp. 15–28 (on the formation of numismatics as a historical discipline).
Kluge, Bernd, Numismatik des Mittelalters und der Neuzeit, Berlin, Akademie Verlag, 1991, pp. 112–130 (on the use of money as a historical source).
Weiss, Roberto, The Renaissance Discovery of Classical Antiquity, Oxford, Blackwell, 1969, pp. 176–185 (on the birth of antiquarianism and modern numismatics).
Pollard, Graham, Early Numismatic Literature and Its Influence, in Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, vol. 42, 1979, pp. 198–210.
British Museum, Department of Coins and Medals, Catalogue of Printed Books on Numismatics, London, 1880, s.v. Lucke.