The chunkiest owl.

[JayAg47]

Got this 2 Oz Athena owl from an American eBay seller last month before the exchange rates went up, and only received it now. I can only dream of owning an ancient owl in 'pristine' conditions, but also didn't want to spend thousands on such a common coin, so this hunk of a silver round made up for the gap. It was produced by Intaglio Mint, they actually struck these coins in high relief by placing each blanks by hand, copying the original details as much as possible rather than adding their own inputs, which made it look more authentic (other than the micro stamp of purity under the owl's leg, which actually is not distracting).

Next to it is my actual owl tetradrachm in it's humble condition. 

Definitely my new fondle piece!

I wonder what I could by with this 2 oz 'Dekatessaradrachm' in the markets of Athens back in the day?!

Please post any owls or modern replicas that you have!

Edited July 17, 2022 by JayAg47

[CPK]

That is really nice! They did a good job of faithfully copying the ancient design. 

[Ursus]

7 hours ago, JayAg47 said:

I can only dream of owning an ancient owl in 'pristine' conditions, but also didn't want to spend thousands on such a common coin, so this hunk of a silver round made up for the gap.

That is actually a rather well done copy of the design. Also, it is clearly not meant to deceive anybody, which I like.

I bought this Cavino aftercast for a similar reason. A real Ostia sestertius is way out of my budget, so a historically interesting imitation had to do:

“Nero,” Roman Empire: Paduan copy; aftercast after Giovanni Cavino (1500–1570 AD). Obv: NERO CLAVD CAESAR AVG GER PM TR P IMP PP; laureate bust of  Nero with aegis r. Rev: AVGVSTI / SPQR OST C; port of Ostia: seven ships; above, pharus surmounted by statue of Neptune; below, reclining figure of Tiber, holding rudder and dolphin; to left, crescent-shaped pier; to right, crescent-shaped row of breakwaters. 35mm, 18.04g. Klawans 2.

[robinjojo]

That silver round is nicely produced, with a good portrait and owl.

Yes, the flashy silver round does make the 5th century BC owl look a little humble, but that's part of their appeal, I think.  Each owl was hammer struck, so no two coins are exactly the same; there are always differences whether minor or major.

Here's a 19th century medal produced for the University of France, featuring Athena and Skyla.

27.9 grams.

Edited July 17, 2022 by robinjojo

[Curtisimo]

That is a cool modern replica @JayAg47. That is a definitely a cheaper way to get the full crest. Here is my owl.

 

[robinjojo]

 

Nice owl!

Speaking of chunky owls, here one that arrived last week, from Roma.  This is an intermediate owl, Pi-style III.  At 17.47 grams it is one my heavier owls.

Athens, owl, intermediate, Pi-style III circa 353-340 BC.  From Roma E-sale 99, lot 115.

17.47 grams

This coin has all the characteristics of a crude, folded flan owl, on a typically "log" shaped flan.  While it is within the usual flan size, at 22 mm at the widest point, it is quite thick at 4.5 mm.

Edited July 17, 2022 by robinjojo

[JayAg47]

7 hours ago, Ursus said:

Also, it is clearly not meant to deceive anybody, which I like.

I have seen modern replicas of these owl, Alexander, and Syracuse tetradrachms with correct size and weight, made with good silver that they almost look ancient. But I wouldn't feel comfortable having those in my collection, so a hefty round like I have now overcomes this problem.

[JayAg47]

3 hours ago, robinjojo said:

 

Nice owl!

Speaking of chunky owls, here one that arrived last week, from Roma.  This is an intermediate owl, Pi-style III.  At 17.47 grams it is one my heavier owls.

Athens, owl, intermediate, Pi-style III circa 353-340 BC.  From Roma E-sale 99, lot 115.

17.47 grams

This coin has all the characteristics of a crude, folded flan owl, on a typically "log" shaped flan.  While it is within the usual flan size, at 22 mm at the widest point, it is quite thick at 4.5 mm.

That's a nice nugget of an owl. I got my intermediate owl from Brian Bucklan last year, but it was really covered in horn silver, so I treated it with sodium thiosulfate, which surprisingly revealed more details! I think it's a Pi-style V
350 - 297 B.C.

Initial weight- 16.9 g, final weight- 16.57 g.

 

[robinjojo]

2 hours ago, JayAg47 said:

That's a nice nugget of an owl. I got my intermediate owl from Brian Bucklan last year, but it was really covered in horn silver, so I treated it with sodium thiosulfate, which surprisingly revealed more details! I think it's a Pi-style V
350 - 297 B.C.

Initial weight- 16.9 g, final weight- 16.57 g.

 

Good job!  The weight loss is minimal and there's no major corrosion.   The coin will naturally darken with time.  

I agree, your owl, by the way, looks like a Pi Style V.

Here's a link to the Forum Ancient Coins page on the subject, if you don't have it:

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=pi-style

 

Edited July 18, 2022 by robinjojo

[Topcat7]

No silver owls, I am afraid, but I do have a bronze one.

 

217 B.C. APULIA Teate 9.2 gm., AE23 mm.

Obv: Head of Athena right wearing Corinthian helmet, five pellets above,

Rev: TIATI left,Owl standing right on Ionic Capital, five pellets to the right, star above.

Ref: SNG Cop.690 var., BMC5

Edited July 18, 2022 by Topcat7