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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;robinjojo, post: 14267094, member: 110226&quot;]Thank you.</p><p><br /></p><p>As with other ancient coins, centering and strike are important.&nbsp; The Athenians used fairly narrow flans, so some die detail much more often than not is off the flan.&nbsp; This is particularly true for the obverse, where the crest, that extension of the helmet running along the periphery, is much more often than not only partially present or not present at all.</p><p><br /></p><p>Having said that, I don&#039;t put a lot of weight on the level of crest detail present on a given coin.&nbsp; I look at that aspect as a bonus if it is.&nbsp; Instead I look at the style of the engraving.&nbsp; I like expressive portraits of Athena.&nbsp; Quite often, and this is becomes more prevalent with the mass output of standardized classical owls after 440 BC, the portraits become flat, bland and static.&nbsp; The earlier owls have nicer portraits, generally speaking, but even there some are better than others.</p><p><br /></p><p>Here are some examples of what I look for in an Athenian classical owl.</p><p><br /></p><p>This is probably my highest grade owl, purchased from Roma Numismatics in 2019.&nbsp; This coin is a standardized classical owl, issued after 440 BC.&nbsp; There was a flood of these coins coming out of the mint to finance Athens&#039; capital projects and later her involvement in the Peloponnesian War.</p><p><br /></p><p>While the relief is flatter when compared to earlier classical owls, the portrait is rendered in a sensitive way.&nbsp; The centering is very good, and there&#039;s some crest visible.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1531465[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>This is an earlier owl, minted between circa 465-460 BC.&nbsp; The relief is higher and the engraving quality is very good.&nbsp; Note the more refined, realistic rendering of the owl on the reverse.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1531466[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Here&#039;s another standardized owl, probably an earlier one.&nbsp; Absolutely no crest here, but the oblong flan was optimally used when the coin was struck.&nbsp; The centering is excellent and the portrait, while somewhat neutral, is still very nice.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1531470[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Finally, here&#039;s an owl that has obvious wear, definitely in the VF range.&nbsp; However, this coin is a transitional owl.&nbsp; These coins were produced by the mint during a time of experimentation with the design, before a standardized one was agreed to.&nbsp; For me, the obverse is almost the quintessential depiction of the evolving portrait, from archaic to classical, with one the best archaic &quot;smiles&quot; I&#039;ve seen on a classical owl.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1531473[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>So, bottom line, buy an owl, or any other ancient coin that appeals to you!&nbsp; Each collector has his or her preferences.</p><p><br /></p><p>Personally, I would not pay a premium for a coin in a slab.&nbsp; If the slabbed coin&#039;s price is within what I think is reasonable, as in the case of the OP coin, which cost me $550, I might make an exception.&nbsp; Otherwise I stick to &quot;raw&quot; coins.</p><p><br /></p><p>Hope this helps &amp; good luck![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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