Four Athens New Style Tetradrachms

These four tetradrachms pretty much are all of the new style types that I have. I might come across another one or two as I slowly organize things.

Here they are in roughly chronological order.

Attica, Athens, c. 164/5 BC
New style tetradrachm
Obverse: Athena facing right.
Reverse: Owl standing on amphora, with winged caduceus left.
Thompson 379e
ex Harlan Berk, early 90's

17.0 grams
30 mm, 12 h.



Attica, Athens, c. 163/4 BC
New style tetradrachm
Struck in the name of Antiochus IV
Obverse: Athena facing right.
Reverse: Owl standing on amphora, with an elephant to the right.
Thompson 396d
ex Harlan Berk, early 90's

16.8 grams
30.5 mm, 11 h.



I don't have much information on the following coin, except that it is an imitation, c. 150 BC.

17.1 grams
31 mm, 1 h.



Attica, Athens, c. 113/2 BC
New style tetradrachm
Obverse: Athena facing right.
Reverse: Owl standing on amphora, with Triptolemos in a chariot pulled by serpents the right.
Thompson ?
16.91 grams
29.5 mm, 11 h.



Any other new style owls out there that you'd like to post?

I am especially interested in any feedback regarding the imitation owl.

Thanks

 

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These are all absolutely marvelous examples! You are quite fortunate

I love the look of the imitation owl especially, the most inquisitive looking The new style owls have always been my favorite, they’re just so adorable.

 

My imitation is worse than your imitation:



Fourré Athens "new style" tetradrachm. 29-28 mm. 12:00. 14.86 grams.
Head of Athena in crested helmet right
Owl right, head facing, on horizontal amphora. The two Dioscuri standing at the lower right. (This symbol should date the coin, but I do not know the date within the very wide range of dates during which the new style tetradrachms were minted in the second and first centuries BC.)
Sear Greek 2559 variant. SNG Copenhagen III Attica 268.

Bought for $6 including shipping on eBay in 2009.

 

..........even some imitations appear to be very expensive

 

Not much, but it is all I have:

Athens, ATTICA. Circa 168/5-50 BC. AR New Style Tetradrachm (34mm; 16.41 gm; 12h). Struck circa 154/3 BC. Obv: Helmeted head of Athena right. Rev: Owl standing on amphora right; caps of the Dioskouroi to right, monograms in fields; all within wreath. Thompson 56-9; Svoronos pl. 37, 1-3. Surface crack or flan flaw on obverse.

 

Seemed familiar to me.....

Meadows & Houghton: THE GAZIANTEP HOARD 1994 CH X on academia.edu-no plates though!

Imitative Issue < and HERM; > A199* 17.08g CNG 30, 11 Jun 1994, 123. See controls of Issue 12 and imitative issue, Thompson 1349 (both without herm).

This coin has an amazing modern history so you must go onto academia.edu, look up Andrew Meadows and find the above paper




Other thoughts. The low chronology of the New Styles should be used since Thompson,herself, gave up her High Chronology c 1984 for the Lewis Low chronology, which was championed by Mattingly and later by Meadows and nearly all modern NewStylists and me! And is used by PeteB above for his Caps of Pilloi NewStyle.

Top, Winged Caduceus c 133/2 BC
Elephant 131/0 BC The Antiochus reference is not now related to any Seleucid Prince-Boehringer,Habicht and then Mattingly gave up the idea followed later by DeCallatay,Morkholm,Houghton,Meadows and me!
Imitation c 150 BC will do fine!
Triptolemus c 113/12 you gave is the modern low chronology date.

Although the modern low chronology has been adopted since NSSCA 1961 the general sequencing of Thompson has had only a few changes since then.

I, Myself, am notorious for my almost single minded love of the New Styles having 55 officials and 3 imitations and 1 pseudo Athenian. Only total of 50 in this old photo though.

 

Thank you. I will go to academia.edu and read the article.

As I recall the imitative coin came from Harlan Berk over two decades ago.

It would be very interesting if the location, Gaza, can be confirmed. That city produced imitations of Athenian tetradrachms from earlier periods.

 

Here my new style tetradrachm. It is the last one, issued under Sulla (86-84 BC), the Roman general and statesman. The piece also comes from Harlan Berk, who had an auction about a year ago with tons of new style tetradrachms.

 

@Dajo Very nice pseudo-Athenian New Style Thompson type ll. ESG Robinson read the monograms to read Markoy Tamoiy which, I told, means Marcus (Lucullus) ,Treasurer/Quaestor. It has been generally accepted.

 

I could argue that mine is only half a good as yours but I could also make the point that it allows looking in a way that makes up for only being half a coin. My question is whether the whole coin was obviously a fake when it had intact silver. Are the part that remain close to a known genuine example?

 

It is interesting that the 2 Fouree's are 2 of the 4 Over-represented NewStyle coins often found in Bulgarian/Thracian hoards. Along with Bing's Eagle on Thunderbolt and Prow they are often well worn before finally being hoarded.
They are now days seen as consecutive types (Meadows) from the mid 120's BC and seem to be a proxy Roman coinage for some reason supplied in huge numbers to Thracian mercenaries.
They are also the target for a number of contemporary fakes as the 2 above.

 

I see that Gaziantep is in Western Turkey.

This is a very interesting article. Coins from the hoard appeared in four different
groups, at different cities or countries in 1994. Apparently it was easier to export, or smuggle coins out of Turkey back then.

The year 1994 would be the correct time frame for the imitative coin, but now I think it might have come from CNG. I no longer have the label for the coin.

Also, many collectors love the new style tetradrachms. Just look at the prices they are fetching at auction and the prices on the retail websites.

 

Also read on academia.edu. Commerce:The Demetrios l hoard 2003 also in CH X by Catherine C. Lorber

I think I was lucky in essentially completing my collection 4 years ago when large hoards were appearing on ebay and in auctions!

 

Yes, from time to time hoards do appear on the market. They seem to come in waves. This is certainly true for Athenian tetradrachms, due to their wide circulation throughout much of the ancient world.

Back in the early 90's I came across a number of intermediate owls that were being sold by a local coin dealer. They all had the same "hoard" appearance. I bought several, but I am down to one now, having sold the others at various times to raise funds. I kind of sorry that I did that.

I read an article of some owls coming out of the Agora of Athens back in the 70's. Perhaps this coin is from that hoard.

17.1 grams

 

My example:

 

@Meander Notice how close the obverse is to @robinjojo 's Elephant NewStyle above. Yours in the modern dating is 128/7 BC on the modified Meadows sequence for that section of the NewStyles.
Nice coin BTW.

 

Here's one more contribution to this tread.

This is a coin that was recently picked up.

It's a rather curious case. This coin was posted on eBay this month. It came out of the CNG eAuction 467, which ended 5-6-20. The coin sold for over $1,000, plus buyer's fee. I ended up purchasing it for $720.00.

I don't know if the winning bidder got cold feet or the coin had to be sold quickly to raise funds. It was sold by a seller who seems to specialize in watches, collectibles and a few slabbed US coins and silver and gold rounds. This was the only ancient posted at that time.

Anyways, it is a nice coin. The obverse is somewhat off center, as often is the case with this type, but the reverse is very nice. The flan is small for the reverse die, so the wreath on the reverse is minimal. The amphora and owl show well, as does Helios and the chariot.

This coin, based on an old Seaby tag from 1983, is Thompson 568c

Athens, struck 119/8 BC
Tetradrachm
New Style
Obverse: Athena facing right.
Reverse: Facing owl on amphora, Dionysi-Dionysi-Aristo magastrates to the left and Helios driving a quadriga to the right, theta on the amphora, ME below.
16.56 grams
27 mm, 12 h.
ex CNG eAuction 467, lot 122
Thompson 568c

 

Thanks @NewStyleKing
I don't specialize in this type, so I was looking for the best possible style of the obverse. I am also a sucker for pedigrees so I hoped to find one considering the old collection toning, but haven't had success so far

 

My envy of your good fortune on this coin is incalculable, as I had the great misfortune of being the losing bidder on it in the original auction! Glad to see it’s found a good home