Athens Tetradrachm: Fake or not?

[Harry G]

Hi everyone!

I recently bought this coin as part of a large lot of mostly modern coins at auction. The pictures were quite blurry, but I've now received the coin and have taken better pictures of it.

 

The edge of the coin is concerning me. It appears to have been filed down at several points, which could mean that either it's been cast with the edge filed down to hide the casting seam, or that it's ex jewellery, and has been filed to fit in a mount.

There are also some prominent deposits on the reverse, and a drilled "dent" on the obverse (to check if it is silver?). It is also quite yellow, which could just be tarnish.

It weighs 16.95g and has a diameter of 24mm

It was very cheap, so it's not a huge loss if it's fake - the rest of the coins in the lot should pay for it!

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

Edited May 28 by Harry G

[JayAg47]

I do think it's real given the flow lines around the olive leaf and under the Owl's feet. Also, you have the test cut perfectly placed like a giant earing, doesn't take away anything from the eye appeal! 

[kevikens]

If the price had been right I think I might have bought it. I can't see any problems with it and the weight is correct.  if you ever send it out please tell us what the results were when it came back.

[Kali]

I think it looks okay, but there is convincing fakes for these.

[robinjojo]

That owl looks okay to me.  That's a test cut on the edge and a test punch on the obverse. The reverse is quite nice.

Also, the owl might be a pharaonic owl.  There's some debate about this type, with the "droopy" frontal eye.  Some experts say this type was produced in Athens, while others contend that Athenian dies were exported to Egypt.  This contention is supported by the discovery of Athenian owl dies in Memphis, dating to the late 5th to early 4th century BC.  

Edited May 28 by robinjojo

[Romismatist]

I agree with everyone else that based on style and metal, the coin appears to be genuine. Looks like you may have gotten a great deal.

[antwerpen2306]

I agree with the other members. The edge is here the problem. One possibility is to date  this coin, basing on the edge about 350 BC, but then the style isn't correct. So I think it is a good coin with problems when minted, as there are more examples.

[Harry G]

Thanks for the info, everyone! It's great to hear it's probably genuine. Looking at it closer, I think it was definitely in a mount (so the edges are filed in places), and there are spots of darker metal around the edge of the coin, which I'm guessing is probably solder.

On 5/28/2024 at 2:22 PM, JayAg47 said:

Also, you have the test cut perfectly placed like a giant earing, doesn't take away anything from the eye appeal! 

When I was looking at the auction photos after I bought the lot, I saw the "earring" and was trying to find other owls with something similar lol. It was only when I received the coin I realised it wasn't!

 

On 5/28/2024 at 2:55 PM, kevikens said:

If the price had been right I think I might have bought it. I can't see any problems with it and the weight is correct.  if you ever send it out please tell us what the results were when it came back.

The whole group was only £50, so I think it was a good deal! I don't plan on grading it, as the edge is damaged and I doubt it would receive a straight grade.

 

On 5/28/2024 at 7:07 PM, robinjojo said:

That owl looks okay to me.  That's a test cut on the edge and a test punch on the obverse. The reverse is quite nice.

Also, the owl might be a pharaonic owl.  There's some debate about this type, with the "droopy" frontal eye.  Some experts say this type was produced in Athens, while others contend that Athenian dies were exported to Egypt.  This contention is supported by the discovery of Athenian owl dies in Memphis, dating to the late 5th to early 4th century BC.  

That's fascinating - yes, it definitely looks like the eye is angled a bit lower. I'll research that die discovery!

 

Edited May 30 by Harry G

[robinjojo]

 

Here's an imitative owl that is kind of close in style to the one you recently purchased.  The modeling of this coin suggests that it is a more localized coin stylistically.  As the imitations proliferated it didn't take long for the original Athenian design to deviate in other directions and cruder as well.  I'm still trying to determine whether the squiggles on the cheek and neck guard on the obverse are characters or just random marks in the die.

Eastern or pharaonic owl, circa late-5th to mid-4th century BC.

17.17 grams

Edited May 31 by robinjojo