Martin Jessop Price (27 March 1939 – 28 April 1995) was a British

numismatist A numismatist is a specialist in numismatics ("of coins"; from Late Latin ''numismatis'', genitive of ''numisma''). Numismatists include collectors, specialist dealers, and scholars who use coins and other currency in object-based research. Altho ...

who was made a Merit Deputy Keeper of the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

in 1978, a corresponding member of the

German Archaeological Institute The German Archaeological Institute (german: Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, ''DAI'') is a research institute in the field of archaeology (and other related fields). The DAI is a "federal agency" under the Federal Foreign Office of Germany ...

and was a visiting fellow at the

Institute for Advanced Study The Institute for Advanced Study (IAS), located in Princeton, New Jersey, in the United States, is an independent center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. It has served as the academic home of internationally preeminent scholar ...

in Princeton, New Jersey, 1986-87. In 1992 he was awarded the

medal of the Royal Numismatic Society The Medal of the Royal Numismatic Society was first awarded in 1883. It is awarded by the Royal Numismatic Society and is one of the highest markers of recognition given to numismatists. The President and Council award the Medal annually to an "indi ...

. He was educated at

King's School, Canterbury The King's School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school for 13 to 18 year old pupils) in Canterbury, Kent, England. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference and the Eton Group. It is Britain's ...

and

Queens' College, Cambridge Queens' College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Queens' is one of the oldest colleges of the university, founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou. The college spans the River Cam, colloquially referred to as the "light s ...

, where he graduated with a firsts in

classics Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

. In 1961, he won a Greek government scholarship which introduced him to the British School of Athens. In 1966, he was appointed Assistant Keeper in the Department of Coins and Medals at the British Museum, under Kenneth Jenkins, and was eventually appointed Deputy Keeper in 1978 which is a position he held until September 1994 when he became Director at the British School of Athens until his death.

Personal life

Martin had a lifelong connection with Greece and was fluent in modern Greek. He would eventually meet his wife in 1965 and have two sons and a daughter. He was described as an inspiration to his colleagues who would often throw himself into projects that had little reward but were necessary.

Notable Work

* Coins of the Macedonians * The Seven Wonders of The Ancient World * Coinage in the Greek World * Coins and their cities: Architecture on the ancient coins of Greece, Rome, and Palestine * The coinage in the name of Alexander the Great and Philip Arrhidaeus: a British Museum catalogue

References

1939 births 1995 deaths British numismatists Directors of the British School at Athens Employees of the British Museum {{UK-academic-stub