Finally got an owl!

I have been on the lookout for an Athenian Owl Tetradrachm that checks all of the boxes for me over the last few months. When I saw the owl special over at CNG, I thought I'd give them a call and see if they could hook me up. They did not disappoint. I asked for one with some crest, not having the chin or nose cut off and not the top of the head cut off while still having some of the beads at the base of the neck. I also wanted one where I could see a good portion of the punch on the reverse and I didn't want one that had been cleaned to death and was brilliant white. This is what they came up with for me and I was pretty thrilled.

ATTICA, Athens. Circa 454-404 BC. AR Tetradrachm. Helmeted head of Athena right, with frontal eye / Owl standing right, head facing, closed tail feathers; olive sprig and crescent to left; all within incuse square. Kroll 8; HGC 4, 1597. Lustrous. EF. Well centered and struck on a full flan.

If you don't have an owl yet and want a nice one for under $1,000, this is a great opportunity. Go check out CNG's offer on their coin shop portion of their site.

 

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I'd say that's pretty much a perfect owl, Kazuma78! My only ancient is an owl (my avatar) and I love it. Like you, I had a list of criteria for both sides that I needed met, and mine cost me $1005 exactly, including shipping. I had to sell about half the value of my coin collection at the time to buy it. That said, I definitely like your obverse much better than mine, though, and I think your reverse is actually sharper than mine, too, even though mine was graded AU. I think you got outstanding value on that purchase! (Truth be told, I probably overpaid a bit for mine, but it's ok--I still love it.)

 

Thanks! Yours is a nice owl too! Mine isn't perfect, but it's pretty nice. I wish all of the E was there on the reverse and that it had a little more old cabinet toning, but with ancients you compromise and deal with the things that bother you least.

 

Thanks, Kazuma78. Here's mine (the pictures themselves are from the dealer, but I like the reverse he took a lot, and I doubt very much that I could do better):



By the way, if anyone can tell me how to get both sides on the same image (without using any non-free software) that would be very gratefully appreciated. I copied my images, pasted them into MS Word, took a screenshot, pasted it into MS Paint, and then cropped. I'm sure there is an easier way!

 

Let out a hoot, hoot for you guys...

 

Love these. My most recent:

 

I feel like these may be difficult to limit myself to only 1 eventually. I was already bidding on another I really liked before this one came up, i may just keep bidding...

 

The op is a beautiful example showing a full crest which seems like it may have been hard to fit on the flan. Very nice @kazuma78

 

I've actually been on the lookout myself for a while for a nice 5th century BCE Attic owl. Not another tetradrachm, though; I would really love to have one like these someday: see https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/257599 and https://artgallery.yale.edu/collections/objects/1759

 

That pottery is cool, but I try to collect things I can't break. I wouldn't trust myself with something like that.

 

LOL. I try to be very careful with my antiquities, especially the pottery. It's all behind or under glass, in various kinds of display cases that aren't anyplace where I might bump into them (I can be a klutz), or my cat could get behind them and give a shove!

 

That's a lovely example.

While I was out tonight, big owl was hanging out with some of his buddies....

 

I'd like to have an owl some time, but they are still too much for me. There's only this little bronze in my collection: not a lone owl, but a double bodied one. I would like to know the reasoning behind it...



AE13 Athens, 340-317 BC. Obv. Helmeted head of Athena t.r. Rev. Two-bodied owl peering at you, above Eleusinian ring. Α / Θ – Ε. Kroll 41. HGC 4, 1736. 13 mm, 1.95 gr.

 

@kazuma78 Your criteria for choosing an owl was bang on. And what you got was perfect. That qualifies as a full crest in my book. Congratulations!

Well I posted mine yesterday in another thread, but it won't hurt to post her here too.



Don't get too upset about the E. Most of the times it is cropped. But everyone has different preferences when it comes to details. Personally, I am more peculiar about the dot in the Θ being centered and visible. When I bought mine I rejected a proper full crest one that had the dot almost missing. Nowdays since I know how desirable the full crest ones are and how much they fetch, I would probably have made a different choice.

Still, very happy with my bird!

If you come across a good deal, don't miss on a chance to get a tet. Very high relief and feels amazing in hand. Unique coins.

 

Wow!! Yours is fantastic! I would have went for that one too, had I come across it.

 

Boy, those Owls are fantastic and I (as well as a lot of others) would be more than pleased to have any of them in my collection, however, we have what we have, and to represent the other 'end' of the owl fraternity, here is my 'forlorn' but happy example.

217 B.C. APULIA Teate SNG Cop. 690 var.




Oh, and here is "La Chouette" ready for a 'night on the town'.

 

SO DO I.
Sadly there are lots a fakes around and I wouldn't have a clue.

 

Did somebody say OWLS?

There are 53 here but I'm sure I got 58. Seems like there's been an escape.

 

I think you should let another escape and sell me one of those nice new style owls lol

 

Speechless!

If future archaeologists come across this collection it will probably be recorded as a hoard!