The first three books on the coins of the Knights of Malta I would recommend any collector to buy, the last two are also of interest.

'The Coinage of the Knights in Malta' by Felice Restelli and Joseph Sammut.

This is a two book catalogue with Volume 1 containing all the text information and Volume 2 the pictures of the coins. When it was printed in 1977 it contained hundreds of coins that were previously unrecorded.  I use the RS (Restelli & Sammut) numbering system with the addition of a two number prefix throughout my website. The prefixes 01 to 28, represent the 28 Grandmasters that ruled Malta between 1530 and 1798. A must for any collector.

Can be purchased from Emmanuel Said 43 Zachary street Valletta VLT 04 Malta
Tel: +356 21 237 472 Fax: +356 21 246 960
Email: info@emmsaid.com Website http://www.emmsaid.com/index.htm

'Malta - The History of the Coinage' by Emmanuel Azzopardi.

This large impressive book was very hard to find until mid 2005 when the second reprint came out. This well illustrated book covers all coinage used throughout Malta's long history. Four Chapters cover:-

• Ancient Malta

• Medieval Malta

• Order of St John of Jerusalem

• French Rule, British Rule, Central Bank of Malta Coinage.

Can be purchased from Emmanuel Said 43 Zachary street Valletta VLT 04 Malta
Tel: +356 21 237 472 Fax: +356 21 246 960
Email: info@emmsaid.com Website http://www.emmsaid.com/index.htm

'Coins and Medals of the Knights of Malta' by Canon H. Calleja Schembri, D.D.

First printed in 1908, it was reprinted by Spink & Son LTD in 1966. Until the publication of RS this was the only reference book on the coins of the Knights. Although there are many hundreds of coins not listed in this book, it is still the only reference to the Medals of the Knight.

It is very hard to find. I've seen copies for sale on eBay and there is currently one for sale on VCoins.  http://www.vcoins.com/

'Currency in Malta' by Joseph Sammut.

This is book was published by the Central Bank of Malta in 2001 and is a total revised edition to the first publication of 1986. The Author Joseph Sammut covers all coins used from prior to the Roman period up to the current issues. Paper currency is also included. 

Although this book is not listed in Emmanuel Said website I thick it may be available from them. If not I've seen it in many book shops in Malta.

'From Scudo to Sterling' by Joseph Sammut.

This is book covers the period after the Knights left Malta, giving in detail the problems Malta had during those early days under British rule.

Can be purchased from Emmanuel Said 43 Zachary street Valletta VLT 04 Malta
Tel: +356 21 237 472 Fax: +356 21 246 960
Email: info@emmsaid.com Website http://www.emmsaid.com/index.htm

'The Coinage of the Crusaders and the World of Islam' by Emmanuel Azzopardi

The book is divided into seven chapters and covers an extensive selection of coins of the Crusades of Edessa, Antioch, Tripoli and Jerusalem. The first coins minted in the East by the Crusaders were the two crusader states of northern Syria, Edessa and Antioch. In the County of Tripoli, the first coins issued were the Frankish-type deniers, while Jerusalem was the last to issue coins, where the earliest gold coins, imitations of the Fatimid gold dinars with Arabic inscriptions of al-Mustansir and al-Amir, were minted. 
 
This encyclopaedic book includes illustrations of over 840 coins, most of them with short historical notes. To bridge Crusader-Islamic history and crusader numismatics, coins of the Seljuks, the Zengids of Mosul, the Seljuks of Rum, the Artuqids and the Ayyubids have been included, while the first chapter describes coins of the Islamic world before the First Crusade; the Moors of Spain, the Arab-Byzantine coinage minted when Jerusalem fell to the Arabs, and the Arabs of North Africa and Sicily, the Aghlabids and the Fatimids. A selection of western European coins imported by the crusaders to the east are also included together with Byzantine gold coins related to the Cursaders’  history and coins of the Norman kings of Sicily with their anti-Byzantine campaigns. Venetian and Genoese coins, the two Italian maritime powers and their colonial issues have not been excluded.
 
Chapter Five lists a coin type of each denomination and ruler of CYPRUS – ARMENIA – RHODES – MALTA – CHIOS is described and illustrated. The coins of the period following the Fourth Crusade of 1204, the Latin emperors of Constantinople, the Kingdom of Thessalonica, Frankish Greece and the Archipelago: Achaea, Athens and Epirus together with all the other baronial issues are also illustrated in Chapter Six. Coins of Byzantine Nicaea, Thessalonica up to the restored Byzantine in 1261 and the Empire of Trebizond are included in this chapter.
 
The book runs into an impressive 304 pages all in full colour and Mr Azzopardi ) is of the opinion that this excellent high quality publication can be regarded as a benchmark on the subject as it includes not just Crusader coins (including Cyprus-Armenia-Rhodes-Malta-Chios) but also coins of the Islamic dynasties.
 

Can be purchased from Midsea Books Ltd Carmelites Street. Sta. Venera, Malta
Tel: +356 21 497 046
email: sales@midseabooks.com