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Watercraft on World Coins
Volume I: Europe, 1800 – 2005
Volume II: America and Asia, 1800 – 2008

Yossi Dotan
Yossi Dotan is a numisnautical researcher, a recognized expert in modern coins which depict watercraft. “Ship coins” have fascinated him for over thirty years. Extensive research has taken him to libraries on three continents. He lectures on the subject and has published articles in numismatic periodicals in Canada, Germany and the United States.

Tijdschriftt voor Zeegeschiedenis has a full review of Volume I in Dutch in its Autumn 2008 publication.

Reviews of Volume I

“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 Lrause-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

Fram, Golden Hind, Santa Maria, Vasa, and H.M.S. Victory are names of famous ships that have played a part in Europe’s maritime history. The stories associated with these and many other ships are told in this book of “ship coins”. Each narrative provides the historical background and watercraft experience and circumstance of the soldiers, sailors, admirals and generals, explorers, naval commanders and fishermen who sometimes through bravery and sometimes through human error have merited a place in the historical record, and are associated with particular vessels that have merited the striking of a coin in record and rememberance.
… This book is the first ever to narrate the history through the medium of ships featured on coins. Each entry contains information on the ships, wherever available (length, beam, depth and tonnage). The book constitutes a catalogue of ship coins organized according to the popular KM numbering system, with groupings under separate headings where ships have a common design. 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.

Volume I: Europe will be followed by Volume II: America and Asia, 1800–2010 and Volume III: Africa and Oceania, 1800–2012

Publication Details