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Message:: [QUOTE="robinjojo, post: 8352743, member: 110226"]This is an owl purchased through eBay in April.  I've spent some time researching this coin, which is an imitation of the Athenian intermediate owls of the 4th century BC.  As with many imitative owls this coin was a little tough to nail down, given the wide range of styles, plus the fact that this coin has the typical AOE ethnic on the reverse, as so many have to increase their acceptance by the public. The vast number of owls attributed to Sabakes have Aramaic inscriptions on the reverse.  However, this is not always the case, based on a coin offered by CNG. Here's the CNG coin: [ATTACH=full]1482224[/ATTACH] To quote: "EGYPT, Achaemenid Province. temp. Artaxerxes III Okhos – Sabakes. Circa 343/2-333 BC. AR Tetradrachm (23mm, 16.97 g, 10h). Imitating Athens. Head of Athena right, with profile eye, wearing crested Corinthian helmet with pi-style palmette / Owl standing right, head facing; olive sprig and crescent behind; AΘE to right; all within incuse square. CNG 111, lot 411; otherwise, unpublished. Toned, bankers’ marks on obverse, test cuts on reverse. VF. Very rare. This remarkable Athenian type tetradrachm combines an obverse of the earliest pi-style type with the reverse of the classical period types, but with the A of the ethnic placed high in the upper right corner, a characteristic that defied convention at Athens since the early 5th century. On closer examination, the style of the obverse die is a perfect match to those used from the Type III tetradrachms of Artaxerxes III through the Type III tetradrachms of Sabakes struck in Egypt (cf. Van Alfen, Owls, pl. 7, 121–35, and Anderson & Van Alfen pl. 50, 39-41). The style of the owl is also consistent with that found on those pieces, and the flan is of similar thick composition. The sole difference is that this coin bears the ethnic of Athens, and the reverse type is in an incuse square. While it is tempting to suggest that this may be the earliest of the imitations struck under Artaxerxes, the relative chronology of the dies in the Persian series does not support such a placement. An attractive alternative is that this coin was part of a parallel series struck under the Achaemenid administration that retained the city ethnic, perhaps to satisfy the requirements of the intended recipient of this coinage." Here's my owl: 16.84 grams [ATTACH=full]1482225[/ATTACH] There are similarities and differences between the two coin, but the total impression is that this owl is one belonging to Sabakes.  Among the differences are the somewhat lower placement of the alpha on the reverse of this coin compared to the CNG owl; some stylistic difference in the rendering of the owl's wing and breast; the thick dot in the middle of the theta (θ) on this coin; the larger tendrils on the helmet for this coin. The similarities include the rendering of the olive leaves and crescent on the reverse; the large line of dots on the obverse from the bottom of the earring around the neck guard of the helmet; the style of the Pi on the obverse; the general shape of the flans with their shallow reverse incuses. I have ruled out the possibility that this coin is an Athenian owl from 393 BC.  There are too many stylistic differences, including the modeling of the portrait, for this coin to fall in that category, and it is most certainly not a later Athenian intermediate "folded flan" owl.  There is not sign of folding on the edge. This owl also has an interesting countermark which I am trying to decipher.  There's also a punch mark on the reverse. So, what do you think?  Are there any Sabakes owls out there with AθE on the reverse?  Please post your owl imitations, your comments and anything else - I appreciate your input, as always. Thanks[/QUOTE]

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