Hello all,
The Portuguese reference catalog Moedas Portugesas (Alberto Gomes, 1991; https://en.numista.com/L104520) is, as far as I can tell, the standard reference catalog for Portuguese coins. However, the 1st edition (1991) has become very outdated. For example, it only lists the coins that were minted up to 1990, so it's missing all coins from the Republic that were minted from 1991 until the adoption of the Euro in 2001.
It is not only missing a lot of coins, its numbering has changed a little bit as well because of new varieties being integrated over the years. For example, the X centavos from 1969 is numbered differently in the 2006 edition (Gomes# R10.31) compared to the 2013 and 2021 editions (Gomes# R10.32) because of the addition of an extra line for 1968 (for an alignment variety), causing the few subsequent numbers to increase by one.
This is not a significant change in my opinion, because the numbering system stays the same, and it does not change for the coin types. Only new lines are added as new varieties are being adopted into the catalog, which is to be expected because new discoveries are always being made.
I do not have a copy of the 1st edition (1991), but I think the 7th edition (2021) is a lot more elaborate since it contains the coins from the Roman times up to the adoption of the Euro, as well as the coins from former colonies/territories and trial strikes. Therefor, it should maybe be considered to add this edition as a separate catalog, not in the least because - and this seems to be a mistake - the current catalog entry of the Moedas Portugesas from 1991 is actually only the 2nd volume of a two volume series, and there is no mention of this on the catalog page, but this is clearly stated on the Worldcat page (https://search.worldcat.org/title/24671372). Unlike the 1st edition (1991), the 7th edition (2021) only has one volume.
In any case, since Moedas Portugesas by Alberto Gomes is the standard reference catalog for Portuguese coins, I think the catalog entry should at least be updated to the 7th edition or maybe even be added as a new catalog because of the addition of the coins from 1991-2001 and former colonies/territories, as well as slight changes in numbering and overall layout/composition (one volume in stead of two, different subtitle etc.).
Looking forward to hearing your opinions.
Best regards,
Gerebernus
The cover of the 2021 edition:
