I have came in contact with @robinjojo regarding Athenian owls, he is a knowledgeable collector regarding these emissions and I have become very interested in the different type of owls. Mostly the transitional and archaic pieces interest me and I hope to obtain one in the near future. He was in able to to explain me more about these types and he introduced me to the many interesting (eastern) 'imitations', which are a lot more than I thought! Since I had no owl yet, @robinjojo offered me very kindly to send one of his owls for me to enjoy and learn from, which I am extremely thankful of and is a wonderful and generous act. This is what makes this coin community so awesome and different from the rest! Thank you very much again. After many issues at customs (which luckily resolved), I received this nice and interesting tetradrachm: It could be an official issue from Athens, but it is also possible that this is one of those more obscure 'eastern' imitations, minted across the other side of the Mediterranean sea. Looking at how the test cut is placed, it seems that the person (perhaps a non-Greek) did not care to offend Athens nor Athena. Perhaps it was even done intentionally! Please share your Athenian owls and imitations.
That's very nice of him. Great coin too even with the test cut. Attica, Athens (353 - 294 B.C) AR Tetradrachm O: Helmeted head of Athena right R: AΘE Owl standing right, head facing, olive sprig and crescent to left; all within incuse square. 16.59g 21 mm Kroll -; HGC 4, 1599 Ex. Numismatik-Naumann, Auction 52, Lot 126
I just received this very interesting coin. The reverse, especially, is great. SELEUKID KINGS of SYRIA. Cleopatra Thea & Antiochos VIII. (126/5-121/0 BC) AE20 Antioch, Dated SE 190 = 123/2 Obv: Radiate and diademed head of Antiochos VIII right Rev: Owl standing right on fallen amphora, head facing; IE to inner right; below, PP (date, first P retrograde) and palm. Legend: BAΣΙΛIΣΣHΣ KΛEOΠATPAΣ KAI BAΣΙΛΕΩΣ ANTIOXOY SC 2263.2f. 6,66 gr, 20mm My Athenian owl is the micro version Attica. Athens circa 454-404 BC. Hemiobol AR 6 mm., 0,27 g. Obv. Helmeted head of Athena right. Rev. AΘΕ ; Owl right head facing, wings folded, olive-leaf and berry behind, all within an incuse square. Sear SG 2531
CT Ancients members are truly a (test) cut above! FFIVN was gifted this beautiful owl from a fellow CTer after his emergency appendectomy last December. It is his most prized coin and has pride of place on his nightstand aka his coin display
Truly great, @furryfrog02. I'm tempted to pharaphrase a certain person. Oops, too late: '...for to such belongs the Kingdom of Numismatics.'
Has to take me that much of the way back to my first ancient, at age 6. ...A Victorinus ant, mentioned somewhere here over the last week. But the gestalt is the same. ...The best of us never really 'grow up.'
Pavlos, What you say is so true . That generosity extends well beyond physical gift giving. Many CT members are very generous with their accrued knowledge & are willing to search for info that the casual collector would have no idea where to look.
Also true. If it weren't for the members here, my son and I would never have gotten off the starting line.
@hotwheelsearl, you got that nailed. Except, Really, what is that? Has a vaguely pro-Himyarite look to it. [Edit:] Needing those goggles.
Some owls are more equal than others. The most common of all are the tetradrachms. I'm not sure I believe the 1/8 obol exists from the official mint at Athens but, if it does, that coin leads my want list. I have seen listed and offered many coins claiming to be that hemitartemorion. I got this 0.22g silver sliver in 1987 but the extreme erosion means that the original weight was closer to an obol or hemiobol and the style could well be Eastern. Today I call it a 'hemiobol? I have no idea. I also would like to upgrade my 1/4 (tetartemorion) which I bought from Jonathan Kern. I believe he knew that I was one of few people on his customer list that would even consider buying this coin. Will I ever have one with the face on flan? Don't bet on it. 0.15g Hemiobols (1/2) are common. I imaging that there is one of them for every 10,000 tetradrachms. 0.35g Less common than hemiobols are the 3/4 obols. 0.5g Most common of all (except, of course, for tetradrachms) are the whole obols. I show this less than perfect one (my favorite kind of coin) because of dents on both sides that I believe could be made by human teeth. The possibility of Greeks of this period keeping small coins in their mouth is suggested by lines in the Wasps and the Birds by Aristophanes. Nothing is proven but I enjoy this coin. That is the advantage of being a hobbyist rather than a scholar. The draft board did me a favor keeping me from a life of taking the Classics too seriously. Almost too large to be of great interest to me is this 1.98g triobol (3 obols) which is also a hemidrachm (1/2 drachm - six obols in a drachm - 6/3=2). The same day in 1987 that I got the first coin in my post, I also got my one and only drachm (4.1g) from Christian Blom. It also needs an upgrade. Many of you have tetradrachms. Who has a drachm? Who wants one (besides me)? I would enjoy seeing any other denominations in the silver series. Who has a dekadrachm?
ATTICA, Athens. c. 430s-420s BC. AR Drachm (4.22 gm, 9h, 15mm).Obv: Head of Athena to right, wearing crested Attic helmet adorned with olive leaves and palmette turned upwards. Rev. Owl standing right with head facing; to left, olive spray; all within incuse square. SNG Copenhagen 41.
ATHENS OWLS Athens Attica 454-404 BCE AR HemiDrachm 16mm 2.08g Athena frontal eye - facing Owl wings closed olive branches COP 70 SG 2528 Athens 340-317 BCE BC AE 12 Athena attic helmet R- Double bodied Owl with head facing E olive sprigs kalathos R BMC 224
Oh, Wow, @Alegandron, that hemidrachm, of the high water mark of the Attic series, is Brilliant. ...If I had money for an example of the period, this kind of denomination (am I making it up, or has Somebody posted a hemiobol over the last week or two?) is where I would go first. Regarding the whole issue, I have to like the contrast between the still 'archaic' elements of the engraving, and how it converges with the earlier phases of Classical sculpture. You can see a similar kind of lag in the lettering on medieval European coins, relative to manuscripts. Symptomizing the attendant contrasts between the two technologies ...at one point or another. ...I just need All of it.
Thank you. I like that it is a non-tet. Additionally, I understand my AE12 is a more difficult to find coin as it is bronze. @zumbly has a great version.
@Alegandron, now that you mention it (...takes some of us longer), 4th c. BCE is Crazy Early for Attic AE, only more so (as a safe guess) than the later Hellenic series more generally.
A fascinating thread about one of the most beloved coin types ever. I was going to add my great new addition, the Himyarite silver 'tet', a type I had never seen before, and there it is already, thanks @hotwheelsearl! Himyarites (Arabia now Infelix), Shahar-Hilal. 1st century BC. AR Unit. Obv. Laureate male head right within wreath. Rev. Owl standing to the right on amphora (looks like a prehistoric bicycle pump); text and monograms. 6h, 25 mm, 5.44 gr. So far, I didn't look into Michiner and I don't have the standard works Malcolm-Hay or the SNG ANS.