John Allan (numismatist) John Allan (numismatist) John Allan, (8 August 1884 – 29 August 1955) was a British numismatist and scholar of Sanskrit. Allan was a noted numismatist and produced the first systematic study of the coins the Gupta Empire, which remains a standard reference today. Allan was born in Bolton, East Lothian. His father, John Gray Allan, was the local schoolmaster. After studying at the universities of Edinburgh and Leipzig, Allan took up a position at the British Museum in 1907, eventually becoming the Keeper of the Department of Coins and Medals in 1931. He was also a lecturer in Sanskrit at
Henry Cohen (numismatist) Henry Cohen (numismatist) Henry Cohen (Amsterdam, 21 April 1806 – Paris, 17 May 1880), was a French numismatist, bibliographer and composer. Cohen moved from Amsterdam to Paris, where he worked as a music teacher and served as curator of the Cabinet des Médailles at the "Bibliothèque nationale de France". He published several works during his lifetime. Cohen's "Guide de l'amateur des livres à vignettes du XVIII Siècle" went through four editions and is considered the standard bibliography of French 18th century illustrated books. He is perhaps best known for his two fundamental works on ancient numismatics: the first, published in