The first edition of this book was titled A Guide to the Select Greek Coins Exhibited in Electrotype in the Gold Ornament Room. Printed in 1871 (2?), it covered 209 electrotypes then on display. It sold for threepence at the exhibit (and had no illustrations ?) I believe this book (or a version of it) was reprinted in 1884 under the title Guide to Electrotypes exhibited by ANS.

The work was greatly expanded in 1881, and titled Guide to the Principal Gold and Silver Coins of the Ancients from circa BC 700 to AD 1. This 2nd edition convered 792 coins in the British Museum collection. Some copies included 70 Autotype plates but most included only seven. Under this title new editions appeared in 1889, 1895, and 1909. These editions kept the 1881 plates but incorporated the latest research in the text. The 70 plate edition cost a half crown, the 7 plate edition two shillings, sixpence. The 1889 plates were scanned for this web site.

In 1932 George Hill revised the work, retitling it British Museum Guide to Coins of the Greeks, 700 BC to AD 270. The new version removed the Roman coins. A few Greek bronze coins were added, and two plates cover the period AD 1 - AD 270. The 1932 edition published 801 coins on fifty plates. Two plates (35 coins) of recent BM acquisitions were added in the 1959 reprint. The 1965 reprint is identical to the 1959.