Lavy Numismatic Museum belonging to the Royal Academy of Sciences of Turin, 2 vols.

Lavy Numismatic Museum belonging to the Royal Academy of Sciences of Turin, 2 volumes, Royal Printing House, Turin 1839-40, 931 pp. in total on heavy watermarked paper, 10 beautiful plates in total, 32 cm, contemporary hardback binding with titles on a tag on the spine.

Volume I, Description of Greek Medals, 1839, pp. X, 447, 8 plates.

Volume II, Description of Roman Medals, 1840, pp. VI, 484, 2 plates.

A work of fundamental importance for Turin's numismatics and for the history of Italian scientific collections. The Catalogue of the Lavy Numismatic Museum represents one of the first systematic inventories of such a vast collection—over 10,500 coins, including 4,879 Greek and 5,747 Roman—conceived with modern criteria and descriptive rigor. It was published at a time when the Academy of Sciences and the Savoy cultural milieu made the cataloging and valorization of ancient holdings a hallmark of collecting and academic prestige. The work exerted a notable influence on subsequent catalogues, becoming a standard reference for scholars. Part of the Lavy collection was acquired in 1866 by the Royal Cabinet of Turin, marking a decisive stage in the formation of the Piedmontese public coin collection.

Work embellished with an autograph dedication by Filippo Lavy on the first flyleaf of volume II.

Ordinary signs of age, otherwise an excellent, largely untouched copy with fresh, margined paper.

Very rare.