Alexander Akin: At the Intersection of Literature and Numismatics: 1,600 Years of Poetry on Money

Alexander Akin, co-owner of Bolerium Books and current president of the ABAA, holds a BS in Anthropology from UC Riverside and a PhD in East Asian Languages and Civilizations from Harvard University. He worked as a professional numismatist before becoming involved in the book trade, and in this talk he will explore an area of personal interest at the intersection of these worlds: poetic inscriptions on currency. We will see Persian couplets celebrating everything from territorial conquest to love for a beautiful partner, expressions of passionate religious piety, and a classical Chinese poem turned into a numbering system in Korea. Here is the bookseller profile interview Alex referenced in the video:    • Alexander Akin, Bolerium Books