My First Coin of 2021 and My First Decadrachm :)

Great coin. If I'm not mistaken that's an ex-Roma coin, correct??!!

 

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Correct. No provenance beyond that sadly.

 

Spectacular dekadrachms folks, both !
The main reason I don't "do" dekadrachms is the cases in my Abafil trays don't allow coins bigger than 33/34 mm.

Q

 

I totally understand and sympathise with your predicament Q. I DON'T USE ABAFIL TRAYS

 

Spectacular coin! I don't believe I will ever start a thread with the word 'Decadrachm' in it. Let alone "my first"! So, I guess you're planning on adding a few more? ;-)

I do have a tet from Syracuse, with Arethusa on reverse on my wishlist, but they're so expensive...! I've been to Sicily for my honeymoon, and despite de visible deplorable state of the center of Syracuse and the direct surounding of the fountain in particular (I mean, a fishtank-museum with dead fish, really??) that place has something magical. You may find a photo of mine of the fountain below.

 

I never say NEVER. If lady luck is on my side....why not

When I was a teenager, my dream car was a red dot in the horizon driving rapidly away from me. The big guy in the sky favoured me and I bought it as a 40th birthday present for myself. I'm a 'glass half full' kind of guy

 

Validation of Impulse (to BEAUTY)

As a newbie to coin collecting, my very first forage into this field occurred at auction this year (2021); purchased a coin described as "ANCIENT GREEK COIN," because I liked it!

Following receipt, I did some online research and discovered a facsimile of my coin illustrated on WIKIPEDIA and described there as "ATHENA DECADRACHM, Athens, 467-465 BC. Silver Dekadrachm (43.38 g/mine: 34.8 g). Head of Athena right, wearing single-pendant earring, necklace, and crested Attic helmet decorated with three olive leaves over visor and a spiral palmette on the bowl / ΑΘΕ (ΑΘΗΝΑΙΩΝ - of Athenians), owl standing facing, wings spread; olive sprig and crescent to upper left; all within incuse square. (Value: 10 drachmae)"

The weight of my coin is 34.8 g, as opposed to 43.38 g noted above, a difference of 8.58 g. Does this factor preclude its authenticity?





Above, from WIKIPEDIA

There's some white "powdery" stuff on my coin, obstructing scanner view of olive branch; and, a dribble of once molten metal obscures the "E". Otherwise, everything else is there.

 

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you didn't pay anywhere near what it would cost to buy an average median-price house...

You either got the deal of the century, or more likely -- To answer your question -- Yes, the low weight of your coin precludes its authenticity.

 

My winning bid was $250; and, yes, I FEEL LIKE I GOT THE DEAL OF THE CENTURY!

 

Meh.. One could buy one here (I might add in better shape than yours) for $140.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/192652...chm-of-athens-attica?ref=shop_home_active_125

 

As Herodotus mentions, there are lots of fakes of this Athens coin on EBay. Most have a similar weight to your coin, which doesn't go very well.

Getting back to the OP coin, that's an amazing piece of art! In order to preserve the sanctity of my marriage (and to her credit she's been EXTREMELY lenient lately in allowing me to complete my dream story), I'm just going to pretend decadrachms don't exist.

 

- Broucheion

 

I can tell by the thread title you are indeed an optimist, "first decadrachm" implies there may be more to come!

 

After a long soak in acetone,

decided to turn it into a piece a jewelry, a pendant coin set in a silver plated bezel, to remind me to be more cautious next time.

 

My second drachm:


Reputable auction house, choice pedigree and price.