So it happened, the right coin finally showed up. I must admit that one reason that I have been holding off buying one is that I honestly ain't very attracted to the style of Athena on the mid mass types flooding the market at the moment. But when browsing auctions the other day the coin that felt right appeared. This late mass issue has a more natural obverse bust of a style I appreciate a lot more. It has gorgeous toning, and an awesome provenance. I love it! ATTICA. Athens. Ca. 393-294 BC. AR Tetradrachm (24mm, 17.18 gm, 8h). Late mass coinage issue. Obverse: Head of Athena with eye in true profile right, wearing crested Attic helmet with three olive leaves above visor and floral scroll on bowl. Reverse: Owl standing right, head facing, olive sprig and crescent moon behind, all in square incuse. References: HGC 4, 1598. SNG Copenhagen 63. Provenance: Ex Stack's Bowers and Ponterio, NYINC Sale 173 (8 January 2013), lot 160; Demarete Collection (Clain-Stefanelli)
Great looking coin. It's always a fun feeling when one of these can enter a collection. I felt it too with mine. Attica, Athens (353 - 294 B.C) AR Tetradrachm O: Helmeted head of Athena right R: AΘE Owl standing right, head facing, olive sprig and crescent to left; all within incuse square. 16.59g 21 mm Kroll -; HGC 4, 1599 Ex. Numismatik-Naumann, Auction 52, Lot 126
Thank you! I have held so many different ancient coin types, but never a chunky Athenian Tetradrachm, looking forward just feeling the density in hand. I see you also went for a later issue than the mid mass. At this point I am honestly so tired of seeing all the freshly cleaned high grade ones parading each week at different venues lol
I feel like many of us have been joining the owl club this year. I finally photographed mine the other day (it’s one of the mass issues - but I like the historical situation of those). Greece - Attica Athens c. 454-404 B.C. AR Tetradrachm, 24.69 mm x 17.24 grams Obv.: Helmeted head of Athena right, with frontal eye Rev.: AΘE right, Owl standing right, head facing, closed tail feathers, olive spring and crescent to left, all within inches square Ref.: HGC 4-1597, SGCV 2526 I was able to get this one reasonably because of the slight flaw on Athena’s cheek. I just wanted a really sharp owl!
Before the hoard coins from the Classical period hit the market in such great numbers there was a considerable preference for coins of that late 5th century style when Athens was the most important city-state in the Greek world. These were the coins that circulated when Socrates, Aristophanes and Sophocles were active in the city and the economy thrived. When Athens lost the Peloponnesian War and access to the great silver mines, the coinage suffered. We used to consider the later 'chunky' coins almost defective but many people wanted a coin from each major period to illustrate how Athens progressed through time. Those of us on a budget probably had a later coin because they were cheaper. My first owl (since having flown to another home) was afforded only because it had a test cut. I have never owned an archaic tetradrachm. My replacement Classical was struck on a thin flan and was not detailed on the owl. I only had one later (chunky) tet lacking a test cut (those never bothered me as much as they did most people) despite the fact that there are several recognized date divisions in the 4th and 3rd century coins. When I got this last late period coin, it had been repaired filling in the shallow cut with a material that dissolved in acetone. I should have known better and looked more closely. It would seem a good time to upgrade the Classical coin but I have not. I do find it interesting that there is someone who 'prefers' the later coins.
Really nice owl, especially for your first. I was so excited to get my first and only owl a few years ago, though nowadays i’m in serious need of an upgrade, as mine is a very budget example. 24mm, 16.77 grams
Great coin - it is an attractive style. I also joined the owl club this year, despite really being a Constantine collector. There are just too many nice ones around, with prices down as a result. Certainly very chunky and satisfying to hold. I keep it in my desk drawer so I can take it out and enjoy it ! I chose this one just based on eye-appeal to me. I deliberately wanted a really recessed owl like he's in a little box, and like Athena's enigmatic smile. P.S. This "500 Years of the Athenian owl" ANS video is what pushed me over the edge to get it!
@Michael Stolt That's a nice new style portrait of Athena, and a nice portrait of an owl. @Heliodromus That's a nice classical portrait of Athena, and a nice portrait of an owl. I've been searching and waiting, for a nice classical style (440 BC to 404 BC, like @Heliodromus's tet) Athena tetradrachm, at a price that I can buy, without feeling too much pain, almost as long as I've been collecting ancients, which started 3 years ago. This coin seems to be one of the coins, that has increased dramatically in price, during the pandemic, especially for nice ones, compared to 2 years ago. But I'm not certain about that.
Wonderful toning on your new beauty! Coingrats Michael Though, I had a later one, I wasn't happy with it and "upgraded" to one minted and used during the Peloponnesian war (one of my very favorite periods to read about): Attica - Athens - Owl Tetradrachm 450-405 BCE, Flament II Obv: helmetted head of Athena right. Rev: owl standing right; olive branch and crescent behind, AΘE before, within incuse square. 17.11 grams.
My nicest owl:- Athens, AR Tetradrachm Obv:– Head of Athena right with eye seen in true profile, wearing crested helmet ornamented with three olive leaves and floral scroll Rev:– owl standing right, head facing, to right ATE in large lettering, to left olive sprig and crescent Minted in Athens c. B.C. 393 - 370. Reference:– Flamen p. 126, 1 (Pi I); Svoronos Athens plate 19, 17; SNG Cop - Ex-Forum Ancient Coins 16.699g, 24.31mm, 270o The following information was provide by Forum with the coin:- "Transitional style tetradrachms include all of the wide spectrum of variants with the eye in profile issued after the classic "old style" almond eye tetradrachms but before the broad thinner flan "new style" tetradrachms. Recent research has classified variations of the transitional style - Pi Type, Quadridigité Style, Heterogeneous Style and sub-groups of the styles, and proposed chronologies for the different styles and groups. This coin is the earliest transitional type, the first Pi style type, essentially identical to the "old style" with the exception of the eye in profile. The "Pi" designation is based on the P shape of the floral spiral and palmette ornamentation on the helmet bowl. The coin can be classified as Pi style, group 1. The floral ornament on examples this early do not yet resemble Pi."
Nice pickup, Michael. I do not have a late mass example, or the pi-type. Still looking for a decent one. Here is one of my mass Owl.
Athens Ar Tetradrachm 392-380 BC Obv. Helmeted head of Athena right with profile eye. Rv Owl standing left head facing. HGC 1598 17.12 grms 21 mm Photo by W. Hansen I always refer to this coin as "Doll Face" for obvious reasons. These transitional owls marks the resumption of full scale production of silver coins by Athens something it had not done since the defeat by Sparta during the Peloponnesian War. As noted there are a number of distinct styles. Also the coins are rather crudely engraved. This may indicate some haste in the production of these coins. As interesting is that the only concession to modernity is the adoption of a profile eye, the rest of the coin looks very much like some of the issues during the later period Flament III mass coinage.
Your coin is one of the best examples of a rare very early variety of transitional intermediate owl that I have seen. Here's a link for more information on this and other pi-style owls: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=pi-style Congratulations! The centering, strike and style are excellent. A very nice grade coin.
While on the subject of transitional owls, I went back to reexamine one intermediate owl that I assumed was an imitation. Having obtained additional information from NumisWiki on the heterogeneous coinage of Athens in the third century BCE, I now think this coin is indeed Athenian in origin, and heterogeneous in style. This coin fits into Group A of Christophe Flament's classification of this subgroup of intermediate owls. From the website: "Group A - The owl has a much broader head and the bill is much less schematic than the on the quadridigité style." Athens, 260-230 BCE AR tetradrachm 17.23 grams As a heterogeneous tetradrachm, this coin retains some of the characteristics of the pi-style coinage, such as the owl and the palmette. It also foreshadows the portrait style of the "new style" tetradrachms of the second through first centuries BCE.
Nice work and great provenance too. I want a couple of later owls as well just for the different styles though I like my mass emission owl
Congrats! Welcome to the club! Here’s mine: Please forgive me for the big plastic hunk of armor but my nephews are 3 & 5 and are showing an interest in collecting and I like to share my ancients with them without worrying about Cheetos dust or sticky stuff on their hands getting on my coin. ATTICA. Athens. Ca. 440-404 BC. AR tetradrachm (25mm, 17.18 gm, 8h). NGC MS 5/5 - 4/5. Mid-mass coinage issue. Head of Athena right, wearing earring and crested Attic helmet ornamented with three laurel leaves and vine scroll with two sprays, the end pointing above her ear / AΘE, owl standing right, head facing; olive sprig with berry and crescent moon behind, all within incuse square. HGC 4, 1597. SNG Copenhagen 31-40. Kroll 8. Holder notes coin is perhaps an eastern issue. Struck from high relief dies, especially on the reverse.
Anyone know if there is any way to get a more accurate date on when an owl was minted? Mine says 440BC-404BC but like is there any way to tell from the design a more specific or accurate date?