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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;robinjojo, post: 8122317, member: 110226&quot;]In the midst of yet another COVID variant wave, with the accompanying need to isolate as much as possible, at least until I get the booster in early January, it is always nice to have interesting coins come through the mail slot, a pleasant and sometimes costly diversion.</p><p><br /></p><p>I have lots of owls, both Athenian and from other sources.&nbsp; This owl, which was described as Athenian, and listed as such with other owls, is, actually an eastern imitation, possible of pharaonic origin, late 5th to mid 4th centuries BC.&nbsp; These categories are huge catchalls for a wide range of owls that do not fit the basic features of Athenian classic and intermediate owls.&nbsp; As such they are categories with many grey areas, especially for coins that closely mimic the owls originating from Athens.</p><p><br /></p><p>The coin below comes close to achieving the general &quot;look&quot; of a classical Athenian owl, but there are features that set it apart.&nbsp; For comparison I&#039;m also posting an Athenian classical owl, circa 440-405 BC.</p><p><br /></p><p>The new eastern imitation owl</p><p><br /></p><p>17.35 grams</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1414251[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Athenian Owl</p><p><br /></p><p>17.23 grams</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1414252[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>The main differences for the obverse are the treatment of the stem or tendril looping towards the helmet&#039;s neck guard, the Athenian owls forming a straight line with a short extension ninety degrees downward.&nbsp; The imitation has two parallel lines, the top line slightly curved.&nbsp; Another difference is the treatment of the laurel leaves running along the rim of the helmet.&nbsp; The Athenian owl&#039;s leaves showing much more detail and refinement.&nbsp; The shape of the eye, a nearly perfect almond shape on the Athenian owl, becomes more asymmetrical on the imitation. The hair on the imitation is somewhat more coarsely engraved compared to the Athenian owl.</p><p><br /></p><p>On the reverse, the owls differ in style, with the imitation owl more stilted and elongated.&nbsp; The &quot;A&quot; of the ethnic on the imitation, and the olive branch on the imitation also differ from the Athenian version.</p><p><br /></p><p>This imitation has a mate, offered recently Numismatik Naumann in a recent auction, where is was described as an eastern imitation. </p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.biddr.com/auctions/numismatiknaumann/browse?a=914&amp;l=964386" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.biddr.com/auctions/numismatiknaumann/browse?a=914&amp;l=964386" rel="nofollow">https://www.biddr.com/auctions/numismatiknaumann/browse?a=914&amp;l=964386</a></p><p><br /></p><p>It appears to be a die match, both obverse and reverse, with the primary distinction being the doubling on both sides (my coin had some doubling on the reverse), and slight differences in centering, with the Naumann coin showing more of the obverse crest.&nbsp; Otherwise, they appear to be sisters.</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="https://media.biddr.com/media/img/auction_lots/914/964386_1578135001.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>So, I would always like your opinions, and please post your owls, die matches, or anything else.</p><p><br /></p><p>Happy holidays![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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