I acquired this tet from Kerry Wetterstrom today. It has test cuts and wear, and has only been cleaned enough to remove a bit of obtrusive dirt. It is otherwise as-found. I've had a number of shiny Athenian tets, but for some reason this one appeals to me much more - showing not only the hard work it did in commerce, but also the 2300 years it sat around waiting for me to buy it. So what do you think, should I clean it? (just kidding)
I understood this to be a DIG at Athens. Supposedly, folks in the Ancient Greek world would NOT countermark or cut Athena as they did not want to incur the Goddess' wrath. So, they cut between the Owls eyes, not the Goddess, and take a swipe at ATHENS. Now, if your Athenian Tets circulated OUTSIDE of the Greek world... ...............BAMM!!! Athens Owl 16.8g 22mm x 6.5mm thick
If you were not of the Greek world, who cares? It was a blob of silver. BAMM!!! let's look to see and prove it! Hey, I am a Kelt, I don't care about these silly gods and symbols! BAMM!!! Celtic Imitation Philip II AR Drachm Kugelwangel type- Agora auction
Is there any spot on the coin showing gray? The photo looks like there might be some down in the cut but it is hard to tell from a photo and it would be odd to have the silver show down there. I'll show a pair of owls demonstrating why the cuts were made. If one cut does not convince you a coin is good, try, try again....and again. This coin is solid. This one was first cut discreetly left of the tail. If you look closely near the right end of the cut you can see a tiny break through to the core. On seeing that, the tester did a not at all discreet crossbody cut that left nothing to be questioned. This coin is a fourree but unusual in that it weighs 16.5g which is a decent weight for a solid tetradrachm. This was accomplished by making the coin ever so slightly larger than a normal tetradrachm to offset the lighter copper in the core. I would think it would stand out in a group of real coins just from being too impressive. Perhaps that was what led to it being suspected and tested.
I don't see any obvious evidence that my coin is a fourrée. There is some dirt in the test cuts. I suppose I could clean it out for a better look, but I like the fabric of the coin as it is, fourrée or not. It's curious to me that many fourrées still exist in collectable condition. You would think that after the deception had been uncovered with a test cut, the coin would have been destroyed, being of no use to anyone.
Yes of course, but after a banker or merchant had revealed that your coin was a forgery, you wouldn't be able to use it to buy anything. Probably most were destroyed, but there is evidence that Roman coin collectors paid good money for fakes. There's a quote from a contemporary source about that - somebody refresh my memory, it's been a long day and I'm drawing a blank.
ALWAYS the Spirit of the Rebel! Celtic Britain Iceni Boudicca 61 CE 1.03g Celt Hd r Celtic horse galloping Scarce (I GOTTA start learning more about Keltic Coins!) BTW @John Anthony , that is a GREAT Tet! Love that patina and the chop! BOINK! Right between the eyes!
Here's another image of the coin, taken in sunlight. This thing really makes me chuckle. It's Athens tough! It takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'. It reminds me of one of Winston Churchill's quips: We have not journeyed all this way because we are made of sugar candy.
