It is unfortunate that we have the term 'transitional' used for the period between Archaic and Classical and also between Classical and New by different systems. I'm wit TIF and use Intermediate for this last mid-period.
I think he was referring to this book by Harlan J. Berk. I really enjoyed the book and the rankings though just like with any list each of us would have come up with something completely different if we were tasked with ranking the greatest coins I think.
Welcome to the club @Mat ! ATTICA, Athens. Circa 454-404 BC. AR Tetradrachm Helmeted head of Athena right, with frontal eye Owl standing right, head facing, olive sprig and crescent behind, all within incuse square. ΑΘΕ in the right field 24mm, 17.08 g, 8h Ref : Kroll # 8; HGC # 4,1597 Q
Not really a fan of Owls nor Athena for that matter...PSYCH! Awesome thread!!! I've been watching all of these beauties get posted (like @Curtisimo these are probably my favorite coins) just waiting for a chance to snap a pic and share mine. I had to save up a long time for this scrappy, chunky Owlthena. Today she is playing at the base of her statue and with other lil friend (whom always reminds me of the owl from the 80s version of Clash of the Titans).
I also enjoyed the book (so much I posted my own list of personal favorites). It is not a book for most of us to use as a collection guide since the selections range from expensive to ridiculously expensive with a very few exceptions. We might 'rank' our collection according to how many coins shown in Berk are approximated in our holdings. Ten would be a good showing IMHO.
Every ancient coin collector should buy that Harlan Berk book , beautifull pics, interesting facts, and inexpensive for sale on many sites. managed to get 6 coins in the book:
Congratulations, Mat! I've collected coins for over 40 years and have admired the Athenian "owl" coins almost as long. Furthermore, I've been interested in owls my whole life, and inherited a number of owl plates and figurines from my grandmother. But I haven't joined the Athenian Owl Tet Club yet. When I do, I want a really nice one. And there's the problem. I can't afford a really nice one. My taste in these far outpaces my budget! So my little Taras, Calabria drachm will have to be my only owl for a while. I like these intermediate styles like the one you got.
I like those little guys too! When I was in first grade, the family that cared for me after school until my mother was off work caught a GREAT-HORNED owl with a broken wing. They had it in a cage and we all nursed it back to health. Fun feeding raw meat to it (yeah, Brian WATCH your fingers! He can bite them off!). We also had beau-coup barn owls that lived in our chicken coup and barns. Calabria Tarentum AR Drachm 18mm 3.1g 3rd C BCE Athena Corinthian Scylla OWL olive TAP ZOP HN Italy 975 Vlasto 1052
It's not Athenian, not even an owl (?), but it is affordable http://www.silverartcollector.com/productdetail.php?id=2238 http://www.silverartcollector.com/productdetail.php?id=2643
The first ancient I bought when I resumed collecting was an Athenian owl tet. It was a coin I'd lusted after when I collected in a small way as a child. I've now got a few more owls, including this Qataban tet from South Arabia, c. 350-320 BC. Cruder than the Athenian model, but quite charming.