Description
Denomination: Silver Tetradrachm
Period: Ancient Greece
Date: About 300BC of later style
Origin: Attic mint
Condition: Fine/VF+. the thick flan’s face area is too small for the dies
Obverse: Helmeted head of Athena. facing right. bankers punch mark to chin
Reverse: Owl standing right. head turned to front. AOE before. olive twig and crescent in left field
Size and Weight: 16.83g. 22mm
References: See Sear pages 235-238
Features and Provenance: Athena was the goddess of both wisdom and warfare. and the patron goddess of Athens. The owl was Athena’s mascot. so rightly appears on the reverse of these immensely popular coins. both now and then; in fact they were so popular the mint couldn’t keep up with demand and standards fell. hence the off-centred images and thick flans. The owl is considered to be a Little Owl and the olive sprig alludes to the export of oil. that. along with silver and pottery. accounted for the area’s prosperity. These coins were probably not used for day-to-day purchases due to their worth. but were kept for building works. international trade and gifts. It is very rarely found during archaeological digs of domestic areas.
Condition Summary. This varies with the age of coin and there are grades in-between
Uncirculated (U). As struck with no traces of wear
Extremely Fine (EF). Very slight traces of wear. all parts of legend etc present. visible and clear
Very Fine (VF). Some signs of wear on the higher parts of the relief. all parts of legend etc present. but maybe worn
Fine (F). Wear on the coin and parts of legend etc may be missing or not visible
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