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ATTIKA, ATHENE (ATHENS) - AR tetradrachm, circa 500-490 BC
weight 17,21gr. ; Ø 21mm.
obv. Archaic head of Athena right wearing crested helmet decorated
with chevron and dot pattern
rev. Owl standing right, head facing, olive sprig behind, (Α)ΘΕ before
One of the most historically fascinating and collectable ancient Greek coins.
A genuine archaic Athens tetradrachm, dating to around 490 BC.
This charming coin survives from one of the most historically exciting periods in world history, the early 5th Century BC. This was the Golden Age of Athens, a time when the great city would lead Greece to victory against the might of the Persian Empire, develop the world′s first democratic system and become the most influential centre for the arts and philosophy. Many thousands of Athens tetradrachms have survived to modern times but the present coin is one of the highly coveted and much scarcer early issues, minted at the beginning of the century.
Well struck and centred, of supurb Archaic style and with appealing tone. An intriguing issue with a small and fully complete Athena head, in unusually fine condition. Very rare.
cf. NAC auction 77, lot 44 (vf/xf : SFR 30.000 + 20%)
cf. Seltman 174, plate X (group Gi) ; cf. Asyut group IV ;
cf. SNG.Copenhagen 18 ; cf. SNG.Delepierre 1420-1421 ;
cf. Babelon, Traité, p.739, 1122 (Pl.XXXIV, 13) ;
cf. Pozzi 1520-1521 & 1524 ; McClean 5797var. ;
SNG.München 32 ; cf. Svoronos plate 4, cf. 41-42 ;
cf. Kraay Plate 10,183 (page 61-62) ; cf. HGC 4, 1590 RR
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ATTIKA, ATHENE (ATHENS) - AR Tetradrachm, circa 500-490 BC
weight 16,97gr. ; Ø 22mm.
obv. Archaic head of Athena right wearing crested helmet decorated
with chevron and dot pattern
rev. Owl standing right, head facing, olive sprig behind, ΑΘΕ before
One of the most historically fascinating and collectable ancient Greek coins.
A genuine archaic Athens tetradrachm, dating to around 490 BC.
Athens was one of the few Greek cities with significant silver deposits in their immediate territory, a remarkable stroke of fortune upon which Xenophon reflected: ′The Divine Bounty has bestowed upon us inexhaustible mines of silver, and advantages which we enjoy above all our neighbouring cities, who never yet could discover one vein of silver ore in all their dominions.′ The mines at Laurion had been worked since the bronze age, but it would be only later in 483 that a massive new vein of ore would be discovered that enabled Athens to finance grand new schemes such as the construction of a fleet of 200 triremes, a fleet that would later prove decisive in defending Greece at the Battle of Salamis.
This coin was produced in the period before the discovery of the new deposits at Laurion, around the time of the Ionian Revolt and the subsequent first Persian invasion of Greece. Athens aided the Ionian Greeks in their rebellion against Persian tyranny with both coin and soldiers, participating in the 498 BC march on Sardes which resulted in the capture and sack of that city – the only significant offensive action taken by the Ionians, who were pushed back onto the defensive and eventually subjugated once more. Vowing to punish Athens for their support of the doomed rebellion, the Persian king Darius launched an invasion of Greece, landing at Marathon in 490 BC. Just twenty five miles from Athens, a vastly outnumbered Athenian hoplite army inflicted a crushing defeat on the Persians, who after suffering horrendous casualties turned to their ships and fled.
The obverse with a wonderful portrait of the patron deity of Athens, the goddess Athena. Athena is depicted in the finest and most captivating archaic style, with full lips, sweeping brow and the powerful frontal eye. The goddess wears a large round earring and ornately decorated, crested helmet, from under which her hair falls in thick, tight curls.
The reverse with the iconic coat of arms of Athens, the little owl. The bird is presented as a plump little creature, starring quizzically at the beholder, an olive sprig shown in the top left field and the abbreviated name of the city in the right, reading: AOE (″Athens″)
This charming coin survives from one of the most historically exciting periods in world history, the early 5th Century BC. This was the Golden Age of Athens, a time when the great city would lead Greece to victory against the might of the Persian Empire, develop the world′s first democratic system and become the most influential centre for the arts and philosophy.
Many thousands of Athens tetradrachms have survived to modern times but the present coin is one of the highly coveted and much scarcer early issues, minted at the beginning of the century. Well struck and centred, from dies of fine style, and it has a handsome patina. Very rare.
Seltman group G (cf. no.230) ; cf. Asyut group IV ; cf.SNG.Copenhagen19-20 ;
cf. Svoronos plate 4,6 ; Kraay Plate 10,183 (page 61-62) RR
(cf. NAC auction 96, lot 1065, vf/xf; CHF 32.000 + 20%)
In hand much nicer than on the images.
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ATTIKA, ATHENE (ATHENS) - AR tetradrachm, 454 - 404 BC
weight 17,14gr. ; Ø 23mm.
obv. Head of Athena right wearing crested helmet
ornamented with three olive-leaves and floral scroll
rev. Owl standing right, head facing, to left olive-twig and crescent,
to right AΘE, all within incuse square
♦ interesting portrait of Athena and attractive toning ♦
BMC 62 ; SNG.Copenhagen 31-40 ; Starr Pl.XXII,7 ; Svoronos pl.14
Kroll 8 ; McClean 5808-5813 ; Mitchiner ATAEC 1067 ; Weber 3447-3449 ;
SNG.Delepierre 1432-1456 ; HGC 6, no.1597 ; Flament 2007, Groups I-III
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ATTIKA, ATHENE (ATHENS) - AR Tetradrachm, 454 - 404 BC
weight 17,17gr. ; Ø 23mm.
obv. Head of Athena right wearing crested helmet
ornamented with three olive-leaves and floral scroll
rev. Owl standing right, head facing, to left olive-twig and crescent,
to right AΘE, all within incuse square
♦ beautifully depicted owl ♦
BMC 62 ; SNG.Copenhagen 31-40 ; Starr Pl.XXII,7 ; Svoronos pl.14
Kroll 8 ; McClean 5808-5813 ; Mitchiner ATAEC 1067 ; Weber 3447-3449 ;
SNG.Delepierre 1432-1456 ; HGC 4, no.1597 ; Flament 2007, Groups I-III
Very attractive specimen with wonderful toning. Excellent detailed owl.
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ATTIKA, ATHENE (ATHENS) - AR tetradrachm, 454 - 404 BC
weight 17,19gr. ; Ø 23mm.
obv. Head of Athena right wearing crested helmet
ornamented with three olive-leaves and floral scroll
rev. Owl standing right, head facing, to left olive-twig and crescent,
to right AΘE, all within incuse square
BMC 62 ; SNG.Copenhagen 31-40 ; Starr Pl.XXII,7 ; Svoronos pl.14
Kroll 8 ; McClean 5808-5813 ; Mitchiner ATAEC 1067 ; Weber 3447-3449 ;
SNG.Delepierre 1432-1456 ; HGC 4, no.1597 ; Flament 2007, Groups I-III
Short flan. Wonderful owl with fine details. Beautiful toning.
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ATTIKA, ATHENE (ATHENS) - AR tetradrachm, 454 - 404 BC
weight 17,18gr. ; Ø 22mm.
obv. Head of Athena right wearing crested helmet
ornamented with three olive-leaves and floral scroll
rev. Owl standing right, head facing, to left olive-twig and crescent,
to right AΘE within incuse square
♦ a perfect owl ♦
BMC 62 ; SNG.Copenhagen 31-40 ; Starr Pl.XXII,7 ; Svoronos pl.14 ;
Kroll 8 ; McClean 5808-5813 ; Mitchiner ATAEC 1067 ; Weber 3447-3449 ;
SNG.Delepierre 1432-1456 ; HGC 4, no.1597 ; Flament 2007, Groups I-III
a very attractive lustrous specimen with excellent details
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ATTIKA, ATHENE (ATHENS) - AR Drachm, 449-413 BC
weight 4,18gr. ; silver Ø 15mm.
obv. Head of Athena right, wearing crested helmet
ornamented with three olive-leaves and floral scroll
rev. Owl standing right, head facing, to left olive-twig and crescent,
AΘE on right, all within incuse square
The Athenean drachms are much less common as the tetradrachms of Athens.
Sear 2527 ; BMC 74 ; SNG.Copenhagen 41-43 ; SNG.Delepierre 1463 ;
McClean 5826 ; Dewing 1601 ; vgl. Svoronos Pl.11,25 ; Weber collection 3453 S
Attractive coin, with appealing tone and nice owl.
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ATTIKA, ATHENE - AMPHIKRATES, EPISTRATOS & EUDI (…), magistrates - AR Tetradrachm, 100-99 BC
weight 16,75gr. ; silver Ø 30mm.
New Style Coinage.
obv. Head of Athena Parthenos right, wearing triple-crested Athenian helmet,
ornamented with pegasos, all within beaded border
rev. Owl standing right, head facing, on overturned amphora with letters KI,
ME below, ears of grain in lower right field, A - ΘE across upper field,
AMΦI / KPA / THΣ in left field, left below, ΘYΔI, EΠI/ΣTPA/TOΣ in
right field, all within olive-wreath
Known to the ancients as stephanephoroi (wreath-bearers) for their reverse types encircled by olive wreaths, the New Style coinage is now thought to have begun production in circa 166/164 BC. The "New Style" tetradrachms were issued by Athens as a semi-autonomous city under Roman rule. The new-style Owls are markedly different from the Owls of Periclean Athens or the "eye in profile" Athena head of the Fourth Century. They were struck on thinner, broad flans, typical of the Hellenistic period, with a portrait of Athena that reflected the heroic portraiture of the period. The owl now stands on an amphora, surrounded by magistrates′ names and symbols, all within an olive wreath. The amphora is marked with a letter that may indicate the month of production. Letters below the amphora may indicate the source of the silver used in production. Athenian New Style coinage became the preferred medium of exchange in much of mainland Greece in the later second century BC and enjoyed much popularity in international trade, especially in the Near East.
Across the field of the new coins are the names of the two annual magistrates (at first in monogram form), accompanied by a subsidiary type or adjunct symbol, chosen by the magistrate whose name stands first (Macdonald, Coin Types, p. 54). To these two magistrates; names there is added during the greater part of the second century (and rarely after circa 100 BC) the name of a third magistrate, which is frequently changed, in some series as many as twelve times, in the course of the period during which the other two principal magistrates hold office. That this period is a year is proved by the numeral letters that are placed on the amphora beneath the owl. It has been conclusively shown (N. C., 1899, p. 288) that these indicate the month of the ordinary or lunar year in which the coins were struck. It is not, however, to be supposed that coins were minted with undeviating regularity year by year, or even month by month, in the years when they were issued. The supply was regulated by the demand. It was only during years of considerable activity that issues bearing all the month numerals Α-Μ (or even Ν in intercalary years, when there were thirteen lunar months) took place.
cf. BMC 318 ; Thompson 845b ; SNG.Copenhagen - (cf. 183) ;
cf. Sear 2555-2559 ; HGC 4, no.1602 R
Attractive tone. Rare.
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