Gerard van Loon - Heedendaagsche Penningkunde - 1717

FIRST ILLUSTRATED EDITION - MODERN NUMISMATICS: HISTORY AND ORIGIN OF MONEY
Important first edition of one of the fundamental works of European numismatics from the early 18th century, composed by the renowned Dutch historian and numismatist Gerard van Loon (1683-1758), one of the leading scholars of the discipline in European antiquarian culture. Published in Amsterdam by Pieter de Coup in 1717, Inleiding tot de Heedendaagsche Penningkunde constitutes a broad introduction to the history of money, its origin, its evolution, and its value as a historical, artistic, and economic document. Van Loon treats coins and medals not as mere objects of collection, but as authentic sources of history, placing himself in the process that in the eighteenth century progressively transformed numismatics into an autonomous scientific discipline. The iconographic apparatus is particularly rich: a copper-engraved title page, an engraved vignette at the title, 9 folded plates, 7 full-page plates, and 5 engravings in the text. The volume also preserves its elegant contemporary binding in full stiff parchment decorated with dry tooling, with a red morocco label on the spine, a feature that greatly enhances its collectible interest.

WHY TO BUY
FIRST EDITION – AMSTERDAM 1717! One of the great European numismatic treatises of the early eighteenth century.
GERARD VAN LOON! An authoritative figure in the history of coinage and medallic art of the Netherlands.
RICHLY ILLUSTRATED! Engraved title page, 16 plates, and numerous illustrations dedicated to coins, medals, and monetary systems.
COATED CONTEMPORARY BINDING! A beautiful specimen still preserved in its refined original binding with red morocco spine label.

MARKET VALUE
First editions of Gerard van Loon’s numismatic works continue to hold strong interest for collectors of numismatics, medallic art, economic history, and eighteenth-century illustrated books. The completeness of the iconographic apparatus and the presence of the contemporary binding are decisive elements in the evaluation. For a complete, well-preserved specimen in its original parchment, a realistic retail value would be in the €800-1,500 range, with potential for higher offers for particularly fresh copies, with important provenance, or in exceptional condition.

PHYSICAL / CONDITION - COLLECTOR'S COPY
Pages (24), 185, (10). Richly illustrated with copper-engraved title page, vignette engraved on the title page, 9 folded copper-engraved plates, 7 full-page plates, and 5 engravings in the text. Elegant contemporary full parchment binding decorated in dry tooling, with a red morocco spine label. Parchment slightly browned and with minor signs of handling; sporadic foxing on the leaves. Overall a very good copy, especially attractive for the preservation of the original binding and the rich figurative apparatus. As with all old volumes, slight defects or restorations not expressly mentioned are possible.

FULL TITLES & AUTHORS
Gerard van Loon (1683-1758).
Inleiding tot de Heedendaagsche Penningkunde ofte Verhandeling van den oorsprong van ’t geld, opkomst en onderscheid der gedenkpenningen, den aard en rekenwijze der legpenningen, de wijze van ’t cyferen der ouden, den oorsprong der cijferletteren, gewichten en muntspeciën.
Amsterdam: Pieter de Coup, 1717.
PRIMA EDIZIONE.

BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Gerard van Loon (1683-1758) was a historian, jurist, antiquary, and above all one of the most important Dutch numismatists of the eighteenth century. His scientific activity developed in the atmosphere of extraordinary intellectual vitality in the Netherlands, where antique collecting, historical studies, and research into primary sources reached highly refined levels. Van Loon understood the documentary value of coins and medals far in advance: not mere curiosities for a cabinet, but testimonies capable of preserving images, titles, dates, political events, genealogies, and symbols of power. This approach made his works a point of reference for generations of scholars and collectors. His fame is primarily linked to the monumental studies on Dutch medallic art, in which he reconstructed through numismatic testimony political, military, and dynastic events. With Inleiding tot de Heedendaagsche Penningkunde of 1717 he offered a systematic introduction to the discipline, addressing the origin of money, the different categories of coins and medals, the systems of counting, weights, and monetary species. His method, based on direct observation of objects and comparison with historical sources, contributed decisively to transforming numismatics from a learned pastime into a true auxiliary discipline of history.

RARITY
The 1717 first edition represents one of the most significant titles in Dutch numismatic bibliography of the early eighteenth century. Van Loon’s later fame and the importance his works acquired in the history of European medallic art make first-issue copies particularly interesting, especially when complete with the entire figurative apparatus. The presence of 9 folded plates, 7 full-page plates, a copper-engraved title page, and numerous internal engravings makes completeness an essential element not always found in market copies. Also highly desirable are copies preserved in their original binding, like the present specimen, kept in full contemporary parchment binding decorated in dry tooling with a red morocco spine label. The combination of a first edition, complete iconography, an author of primary importance, and an original binding makes this volume obviously valuable for a specialized collection in numismatics and the history of money.

HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE
Inleiding tot de Heedendaagsche Penningkunde belongs to a decisive moment in the history of European antiquarian studies. Between the 17th and 18th centuries, coins and medals gradually ceased to be considered merely precious objects or cabinet curiosities and began to be analyzed systematically as historical documents. Van Loon was one of the protagonists of this transformation. His tract addresses the origin of money, the evolution of monetary denominations, commemorative medals, calculation systems, weights, and numerous technical aspects of monetary circulation, proposing a vision of numismatics unusually broad for the period. The work is therefore of interest not only for the history of collecting but also for economic history, the history of art, political iconography, and the development of modern historical disciplines. The rich engraved apparatus also allows direct observation of coins, medals, and study tools, turning the volume into a true visual encyclopedia of European numismatic culture in the early eighteenth century.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Gerard van Loon, Inleiding tot de Heedendaagsche Penningkunde ofte Verhandeling van den oorsprong van ’t geld, Amsterdam, Pieter de Coup, 1717.
Gerard van Loon, Beschryving der Nederlandsche Historipenningen, monumental repertoire of the Netherlands’ historical medallic art.
Engel & Serrure, Traité de numismatique moderne et contemporaine.
Joseph Hilarius Eckhel, Doctrina Numorum Veterum, fundamental reference for the history of the numismatic discipline.
Bibliographies and specialized antiquarian catalogs dedicated to Dutch numismatics and the works of Gerard van Loon.