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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Optimo Principi, post: 25542505, member: 159747&quot;]Is anyone able to cite the source of the persistent anecdote that President Theodore Roosevelt was known to carry an Athenian owl tetradrachm as a lucky pocket piece? Further, that he drew upon the coin for inspiration when setting about the redesign of American coinage with the sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens?</p><p><br /></p><p>This claim that Teddy Roosevelt carried an owl tetradrachm is made all over the web and in numerous books, but I have yet to find a compelling source. The earliest statement of the factoid that I can find comes from Clain-Stefanelli’s 1974 work &#039;The Beauty and Lore of Ancient Coins&#039; on page 180.</p><p><br /></p><p>There are numerous general references to the beauty of Greek coinage in TR&#039;s letters but nothing specifically about the Athenian owl. From the correspondence I have read it was actually Alexander the Great’s coins that were more Roosevelt&#039;s inspiration. In a letter dated Nov 6, 1905, Roosevelt writes to Saint-Gaudens stating that &#039;after looking at some gold coins of Alexander the Great today&#039;, he wonders if they can try and achieve a higher relief on the new US coins like the Greek coinage. Whose Alexander coins these were, the Smithsonian&#039;s or perhaps his own, he does not say.</p><p><br /></p><p>Any help much appreciated.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1636064[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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