When it comes to coins that I never thought I'd be able to own, the iconic Athenian tetradrachm was up there for years. It may be more common than something like the Syracusan decadrachm but I still consider it such a treasure nonetheless. I usually don't get coins of this magnitude as this is now the second most expensive coin in my collection (the most still being as of this post the gold solidus of Heraclius that I've posted about before). The giant test cut that split the poor owl's head open might be a little distracting for a lot of people but it certainly helped make this piece something within my grasp financially and there's still plenty of detail preserved regardless. To finally be able to acquire one for my collection really is a dream come true, I'm kind of at a loss for words honestly. Feel free to share your examples here! Attica, Athens AR Tetradrachm 454-404-BC Helmeted head of Athena right AθE, Owl standing right, facing, olive sprig and crescent behind Large test cut 15.60 g. 24 mm.
Countermarks and test-cuts are very frequent on owls from hoards found in Egypt and the Middle-East. It seems they are much less frequent in hoards found in Greece : test-cuts and countermarks were probably made by Oriental bankers... I have two owls, both with this kind of marks, both bought in Damascus Probably bona fide Attic issue, 5th c. BC. Athens, mid-4th c. BC Pi-style, minted after 353 BC. On Athena's cheek, cmk. with a Phoenician letter.
That's right! Never let anyone "test-cut shame" you. We buy what we can afford to buy. (As opposed to some who buy more than they can afford, and then consequently forever dread the monthly credit card bill. LOL!) The test-cut adds character to a coin, and tells a little story about it. Although we don't know exactly when it happened, we know that at some point in ancient times someone needed to verify whether the tetradrachm you now own was genuinely silver through-and-through. And they found out in a way that even today still reveals the answer. Also, as test-cuts go, I wouldn't call it "giant". I've seen more extreme hacks, and some that were cut in places that badly marred the central device. That's not true with yours! And I like that the test-cut is mainly evident just on one side. And I love the humor in the fact that the location of the cut allows a well-known figurative idiom to be said literally about your coin's owl: "Got him right-between-the-eyes!" ;-)
Personally @Codera I would call it an "honest coin". After buying a couple of fakes in the past I have made a point of regarding bankers marks and graffiti as a positive and in some instances have encouraged me to buy a coin particularly expensive Octavian denarii which brought them within my reach. When you consider the "sweating" of hand struck cobs by the Potosi minters in the 16th Century and the clipping of 15th and 16th Century Hammered coins I wonder if there was not some smug trader or banker making such deep cuts on every coin and then salvaging the silver at the end of his day? Certainly such a deep cut would contribute to the lower weight you mentioned on another post. Here is my "Owl". I wanted one for a long time but had other priorities. My strategy was to put in lowball bids and on one lucky day I picked mine up at a Noonans Auction which had several more and I guess they ran out of owl buyers as I picked this up relatively inexpensively. HELMETED ATHENA FACING RIGHT OWL STANDING RIGHT WITH OLIVE SPRIG IN INCUSE SQUARE SEAR 2526
A single test cut on a silver coin causes the metal to be displaced but not removed. To achieve that, a second cut would be necessary, and given the very thick flans of these owls, a lot of effort. Yes, Spanish colonial cobs lent themselves to clipping or shaving (or both). Some of them were also shaved to achieve lower legal weight for a given locality, such as North Africa in the 18th century.
I do respectfully somewhat disagree somewhat with @robinjojo but really appreciate his comments as it has set me thinking. This is because there is there's no way to "cut" something without some form of material loss even on a microscopic level. The question is , how was it cut and what with? These coins were more than 95% silver so the copper content was low but the science still is; Plastic Deformation: When you press a sharp knife edge into the silver, the metal will initially undergo plastic deformation and be displaced. It literally moves out of the way of the blade. Next step. Shearing and fracture; As you apply more force and/or draw the knife, the stress at the cutting edge eventually exceeds the silver's strength. The metal will then shear, meaning it breaks along the plane of the cut. Chip/Burr Formation: The act of shearing inevitably creates tiny fragments, chips, or burrs of metal that are detached from the main body of the coin. These fragments are the "lost" metal. I used to direct a non-ferrous foundry so cutting and metallurgy were key issues. I can't believe the cut in this coin is simply displaced metal as it is catastrophic which lends itself to a blade with teeth or an extremely sharp thick blade. With this amount of damage, IMHO, the gap isn't just compressed metal; it's empty space where some material used to be. At this time carbon steel was available but to make such a deep cut I would have thought would be dangerous to the holder of the coin unless possibly it was clamped and now we drift into the realms of multiple cuts necessitating a jig or fixture. If every coin is to be cut and we know there could be thousands, deep cuts might prove profitable. I would imagine a carbon blade would have been expensive and highly prized but maybe one lost blade was worth more than a fake "owl". Clearly there was no significance given to this action on a sacred basis to create such a defacement and it could even have occurred much later and elsewhere. If I consider @robinjojo's comment with my own I am undecided and on a balance scale would think we are possibly equally right. I am so intrigued by @robinjo's comment that I am going to conduct an experiment with a divers knife and a Silver Britannia coin. These coins are 95.8% silver and I will weigh one and then try to make a deep cut holding it and clamping it. I'll post my results. If you seek the truth you can't hold an opinion and my opinion is wavering. There are hundreds of millions of Britannia's so this is an experiment in the interest of science and it will still hold its bullion value and could possibly create some numismatic interest in a couple of hundred years time. I can imagine the Heritage listing. " Extraordinary artisan defaced Britannia coin possibly making a political anti monarchy comment during the transition from the new Elizabethan Age? Micro cellular sub atomic DNA testing indicates the defacer was a 68 year old male with a compulsive inquisitive personality who lost blood during the process". I would not be surprised if DNA would reveal personality in a couple of hundred years time. We have much to learn and a lot of it will be discovered after we are gone.
Here are a couple of owl tetradrachm examples. Like @Codera, this is not my collecting area but as the Athenian owl tetradrachm is such an iconic coin, I took the plunge to purchase one a year or two ago. I figured with the large Turkish hoard continuing to be sold onto the market at the time and quite a few nice quality pieces going for non-exorbitant prices, it was time to acquire a piece within my price range. The first coin I acquired was this one... Athena's nose and headdress are off the flan, making the price affordable, but everything else is in good shape, and the portrait spoke to me. This one was EUR 355. Then these came along. These two owls were in a group of four, average cost per coin was $US 175 or so. They are a lot more worn, but in my opinion they certainly have character, and are undoubtably genuine. These intrigued me because of their countermarks, and of course, the test cuts which indicate they circulated in the Levant:
They really whacked that one, didn't they? I picture Uma Thurman in the Kill Bill movie, wielding her samurai sword. It's got... character. I kind of like how the owl's eyes ended up on opposite sides of the cut, making it look like some kind of alien creature. No test cut here.
