The Photiades Pacha Collection

[Photiades Pacha]. Hoffmann, H. COLLECTION PHOTIADÈS PACHA. MONNAIES GRECQUES. Paris, 19 mai 1890 et les trois jours suivants. (4), 125, (1) pages; 1530 lots; 8 fine plates of coins. Hand-priced. [bound with] Hoffmann, H. COLLECTION PHOTIADÈS PACHA. MONNAIES BYZANTINES. Paris, 23–24 mai 1890. (4), 49, (1) pages; 682 lots; 2 very fine plates. 4to, contemporary red quarter calf with mottled boards; spine ruled and lettered in gilt. Plate margins extent slightly past text block; near fine. An attractive and sound set of these scarce catalogues, both ably catalogued by Wilhelm Froehner. The first is particularly important. Babelon 229: “Photiadès Pacha’s collection of Byzantine coins... was acquired en bloc by the Hermitage Museum.” Clain-Stefanelli 1987. Daehn 2059 (first volume): “The collection contained coins from Thessaly through the Cyclades, from Crete, from the cities of Byzantium, and Calchedon. According to Alan Walker, ‘The importance of this auction was in its specialized nature: no sale had ever before presented such a rich selection of the coins of the Greek Mainland.’ The catalogue was written by Wilhelm Froehner with the help of Friedrich Imhoof-Blumer.” (For more on Photiades Pacha, see Alan S. Walker’s enjoyable article, “Catalogues and Their Collectors,” in the 2008 volume of the American Journal of Numismatics.) Grierson 286. Spring 395 and 396.