It spent a good long while in the US customs black hole, but my Ares win is finally here! Picked this one up only vaguely attributed for a bit less than the price of a "mass" owl. 23mm, 17.18g I am thinking this might be a Starr Group V? The owl is a bit more natural with a smaller head cocked slightly to the right, and although the numbers dont seem that different, in hand this is markedly smaller and more chunky than my "mass" owl: What do you guys think?
Nice owls, @Finn235. These pre-"Mass" Attica tetradrachms are so lovely. The owl has more "character" by simply turning its head a bit more to the left. The owl of my avatar coin is similar to yours.
Nice coins ! Assigning owls to a group is a kind of an art and the Flament book is a must have if you want to do it. It is not a Starr group V (Flament group I) for various reasons but the main one is that none of them have an owl with a globule on its forehead. Your two coins have the features of the Flament group II coins struck between 440 and 404 BC
Finn235, The variations in Athenian Owls are very confusing . I recommend you read the thread started by Nathan P, June 30, 2019, "Transitional Athens owl question". You'll see a variety of coins & opinions .
Thanks all! I did notice the dot on the owl's forehead, but I was not sure if that was a "make or break" feature for inclusion in the pre-mass series. I had never noticed an owl tet with a tilted head described as a "mass" type before, which is why I was asking. @gsimonel, the "Mass" owls are the ones made on a mass scale (tens or hundreds of millions) while Athens was the pre-eminent superpower of the ancient Mediterranean, about 454-404 BC. Pre-Mass covers everything from the very rare archaic types to the iconic classic. After the start of the 4th century BC the Athens tets resumed, but with a more realistic eye facing forward rather than out toward the viewer. As mentioned, there are books on the subject, but from what I have seen, they are quite pricey, as one might expect for a specialist numismatic work.
Thanks for the "mass" owl definition. I was enjoying this thread (owl-less though I am) but I'd never heard the term.
Do not the Starr group coins also have three separate tail feathers rather than three grouped together?
