Greece (Attica): ca. 440-404 BC silver "Owl" tetradrachm of Athens

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by lordmarcovan, Dec 20, 2025 at 6:11 AM.

  1. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic numismatist Moderator

    Greece (Attica): ca. 440-404 BC silver "Owl" tetradrachm of Athens

    NGC AU; Strike 4/5, Surface 4/5. Cert. #6707874-001. Weight: 17.21 g.

    Ex-"ArtDeco", CoinTalk, private transaction, 25 December 2022. Purchased raw.

    01-frame.png 02-Photovision.png 06-obv.png 07-rev.png 08-slab.png
    075000
     
    Last edited: Dec 21, 2025 at 6:45 AM
    David@PCC, cmezner, robinjojo and 9 others like this.
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  3. kountryken

    kountryken Well-Known Member

    Very nice coin! It looks fantastic.
    I am blessed to have one, too. It's not as nice as yours, but far better than I thought I'd be able to have.
    20250509_021410.jpg 20250509_021438.jpg
     
  4. Bing

    Bing Illegitimi non carborundum Supporter

  5. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic numismatist Moderator

    Thanks! I got a terrific deal on it. Despite being a collector for over 45 years at the point I bought that, I had never owned an Athenian owl. I was waiting for the right one, at the very narrow intersection of my taste and budget. Then that one sort of fell into my lap as part of a deal I simply couldn’t turn down. It found me, you might say.
     
    kountryken likes this.
  6. Beartooth

    Beartooth Member

    That's a beauty! Have an AU graded owl myself but oddly shaped IMG_20240829_203441.jpg
     
  7. robinjojo

    robinjojo Well-Known Member

    Your owl has excellent centering. All too often some of the central detail falls off the flan, given the generally narrow ones that Athens used. I guess they were easier to produce, since broadness was not a prime consideration, with the millions that were minted over the course of a few decades in the later part of the 5th century BCE.

    Here's an owl that seems to have been something of an experiment using a small obverse die to capture the full design. The reverse die is normal is size.

    Athens, Attica, tetradrachm after 449 BCE
    17.14 grams
    D-Camera Athens tetradrachm after 449 BC reduced obv. die, 17.14 g , 12-14-20.jpg

    Here's the owl with one that is more typical, but I think it is somewhat earlier, given the higher relief.

    D-Camera Athens 1, tetradrachm after 449 BC reduced obv. die, 17.14 g , 12-14-20.jpg

    Which obverse is the most attractive? I like the top owl with the high relief, good centering and nice style. I've never seen another owl with an undersized obverse die, so apparently this was a short lived variant.
     
    Last edited: Dec 20, 2025 at 10:21 PM
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