The range of his learning, his searching curiosity, his flair for setting numismatic problems in their wider context have given Philip Grierson's contributions to numismatic method a particular significance. The contributors to this volume were, therefore, invited to submit papers which, whatever the details of the topic, would illustrate numismatic method and we are most grateful to them for the way in which they have responded. The papers are placed in the broad chronological order of the coinage discussed, beginning with the earliest issues of the Greek world and continuing to the close of the Middle Ages. The approaches which they illustrate include coining technology, the choice of types, the interpretation of find evidence, and the correlation of coins themselves with contemporary documents. The resulting volume does not pretend to be a complete exposition of the methods available to the student, but it is hoped that it will have a special usefulness in demonstrating current directions and techniques in the study of coinage. Perhaps the one general conclusion which the collection allows is the value of combining more than one method for the solution of a problem – a fitting tribute to the scholar to whom this volume is dedicated.

The methods and technology of coin production provide one of the principal means for answering such basic questions as when and where a coinage was produced, and in what quantity. For many series the evidence of production is limited to what can be inferred from the specimens that survive.