I have always been fascinated with the Greek Tetradrachms with the owl. There is one listed locally on Craigslist that I thought about looking at closer. It seems these are commonly counterfeited. The details on this coin are described as the following: Attica, Athens ca. 454-404 BC Silver Tetradrachm, 17.17 g, 22 mm Obv: Helmeted head of Athena right, with frontal eye. Rev: Owl standing right, head front, closed tail feathers, crescent to left, olive spray, AΘΕ; all within incuse square. Well centered. Kroll 8; HGC 4, 1597. Compact flan. VF. Ex CNG. You can hardly see the edge and the blob by the Alpha causes me to pause. If you think it is real and feel so inclined, what would you pay for it? Thank you!
Hello Joshua 1. If the coin really is from CNG, then you can probably rest assured with respect to authenticity. 2. If the seller is making that claim, I suggest you ask for the auction details or inventory number. Looking it up on the CNG site or calling CNG to confirm the inventory number is straightforward. Don't be shy; I've called them to confirm a similar claim when I was given an inventory number. 3. With respect to price, I suggest you check out current auction records at the many dealers and/or take a look at coinarchives.com which shows - without cost - sale records for the last six months. D
The dot at the base of the A is common for owls of this classical period. There are some spots on the obverse that look like remnants of hoard patina, probably horn silver. I'd say that the coin is okay in terms of authenticity, but if this is an eBay seller, check on the seller's feedback and years listing on eBay. The suggestion on getting specific CNG information from the seller would be very helpful. There are lots of these coins on the market at any given time. It is sort of amazing that prices haven't really softened to any meaningful degree. These coins were minted by the Athenians in extremely large volumes. Kallet and Kroll, in their reference The Athenian Empire - Using Coins as Sources estimate that tetradrachm production at Athens during the Classical Period (circa 440-404 BC) exceeded 1 million owls annually. Of course there are fakes out there, but the vast majority are pretty easy to detect, with some experience. So, I suggest buy your first owl from a trusted source, but take your time deciding.
