This is the first book on this fascinating subject since Albert Frey wrote The Dated European Coinage Prior to 1501 in 1915. Levinson approaches the subject both differently and more thoroughly than Frey. The book focuses on the eight distinct regions in which coins were issued: Germany, Southern Netherlands, Northern Netherlands, Habsburg lands, Switzerland, Scandinavia, Italy, France and organizes the known pre-1501 Anno Domini dated coins chronologically within each region. For the first time, there is for each of the nearly 1200 coins listed (twice as many as in the Frey work), the full legends, descriptions, ruler names, references, weights and rarity. There are nearly 1000 photographs and line drawings, an extraordinary undertaking given the extreme rarity of the majority of the coins. The book is in four parts: the first is a lengthy history of early dated coinage, including discussions of the types, metallurgy, classifications, etc. The second part is the 173 page catalogue of coinage, divided into the eight regions. The third part is a listing, again by region, of all the states issuing early dated coinage, with a history of each state’s coinage and a cross-reference to all the coins listed in the catalogue. The fourth part contains eight appendices with alphabetical listings, translations of legends, a photographic glossary of coin types, a listing of early dated coinage using Islamic script, and other useful information. Along with the book, at no additional charge, is a loose-leaf price guide.