This was a major one checked off my want list. Looked at so many of these I got tired of looking at them. Finally I decided on this one. Had never handled one in real life. The bust of Athena on the obverse is usually so large that some, if not a major part of the design is usually cut off. This one is no different. I guess you just have to pick what part of the design you want to see the most. The relief is crazy. Required a thicker holder. This is a bit over one half ounce of silver. It dwarfs the little, debased, Roman denarii that I've been collecting lately. Strike 5/Surface 3. I don't know what's wrong with the surface other than it is notated with "scratches". There's a fine scratch on the cheek that is difficult to see.
nice score been trying to obtain on but the prices have been getting out of hand the last time i chequed on them . . . =/
When it comes to the Owl, I'm also in the "major one to check off my list" category. I just can't get myself to pull the trigger though because I feel no sense of urgency with this coin, as there are always plenty to pick from in almost every auction (and always will be). My fear is that I'll blow my current budget on an Owl and then something will immediately come along that is only available every couple of years . Nice coin though, I'd certainly be happy with that one.
My only owl, probably ever, is this little one, probably a Phoenician imitation. 8 mm, .55 g. Terrible condition, but, hey, for the princely sum of $5, it's OK. (I definitely like yours better, however.)
Nice owl! My experience regarding NGC's surface grading is that they look at the surfaces for deposits, toning (color), porosity, corrosion, etc. As far as that it concerned, an ancient coin is inherently going to have surface issues for the vast majority. Therefore I give little credence to this measure and to a certain extent strike as well, initially. When looking at an ancient coin, whether in a slab or not, ignoring any slab information initially, evaluate the coin on your own. Of course if you don't have experience with a given type, doing research helps. After that step, and you've formulated your impressions, then look at the other information. It seems that all to often many collectors' decisions are solely driven by the grading numbers. More often than not I don't agree with those numbers, but then we are basically making subjective judgements, so in the end this is the collector's choice, based on personal preferences.
As stated above by @Cherd, there are usually several to choose from in many auctions. Were there hoards recently discovered that I missed the news on?
Incredible coin! I'm looking to buy my own Athens Owl. I see this one for sale: NGC says it's "CH AU" with 5/5 strike and 4/5 surface. They're asking 2 and 1/2 thousand dollars... Not sure what to do. Maybe I'll wait for the next big coin show?
Great coins - it is on my list as well - but it is odd how the prices seem to same no matter how many are available
