The style looks like from Egypt or surrounding areas. BTW, is that a giant punch near the owl, which somehow doesn't cut through the whole coin?
Yes, the hole does not go through the obverse. It is truly massive, about 5 mm wide and roughly 2.5 mm deep, and flat at the bottom - unusual. It's almost like an mini impact crater. There is some white-like material towards the bottom, but that could be remnants of the original surface that could be be removed, or, could it be tin, oxidizes white? I've never heard of tin being used as a core metal, it is quite light compared to copper, which must have been much more readily available. My guess is that this hole was in the flan at the time of striking, perhaps as a means to show the core of the coin? Give the size of the hole, and the coin's weight at 16.2 grams, I'd guess that the metal displaced would be in the neighborhood of 2, possibly 3 grams? Also, the obverse does not show any significant flattening, as one would expect from the force of the punch. The alignment of the reverse punch is not in line with the puffy cheek, but more in line with the forehead and upper hair line. I do not see any signs of a copper core and I think it is silver, but one other thought occurred: is it possible that the coin was struck with a copper or base metal core, with the hole already in the flan, and then plated? With the hole "proving" that the coin is silver, could this be a ploy to avoid further testing while the coin is in circulation? Actually, I don't think this is the case, given that this coin has been buried for quite a while and shows no breaks indicating silver plating or copper oxidation. Still it is an odd bird, or puffer fish, and an interesting coin to contemplate.
That punch hole is surely huge. I have one with a punch hole already on the flan, but it's way smaller.
And notice how the rim of the punch causes the metal to rise, as would be expected, and the bottom comes to a tapered point. This is not the case with the puffer fish. Now it's possible that the raised metal around the rim of the punch was removed, but I don't see any indications of that having been done. Hmmmmm....
I found another imitation Athens tetradrachm today. I knew that I had another example of the "large punch hole on reverse" variety. This coin came by way of a dealer/collector in Berkeley. The hole is very much the same as on the first example I posted yesterday. The style is suggestive of Egypt. The diameter of the hole for this coin is 4 mm, and, as with the first example, flattens at the bottom and does not break through to the obverse. The alignment of the hole corresponds to the lower chin and upper neck of Athena. There's also a small test cut on the edge at around 7 o'clock on the obverse. As with the first coin, the hole was likely made prior to striking. There is absolutely no signs of flattening on the obverse, as would be expected from the force needed to create Egypt or Eastern Imitation Tetradrachm of Athens, c. 393 BCE Weight: 16.5 grams, 21 mm, 9 h. Here's a closer look at the hole, a little blurry (still learning how to use this camera). There seems to be some kind of symbol at the bottom. It appears to be a central point with three distinct thick radiating angular arms, much like a Maltese cross. There's also a much smaller point above the center point. So, is it possible that the coin was drilled, with a countermark applied at the bottom to certify that the coin was tested for silver content?
