Coins and Antiquities Consignment Shop
  Welcome To Forum Ancient Coins!!! All Items Purchased From Forum Ancient Coins Are Guaranteed Authentic For Eternity!!! Please Call Us If You Have Questions 252-646-1958 or 252-497-2724 Expert Authentication - Accurate Descriptions - Reasonable Prices - Coins From Under $10 To Museum Quality Rarities Welcome To Forum Ancient Coins!!! All Items Purchased From Forum Ancient Coins Are Guaranteed Authentic For Eternity!!! Internet Challenged? We Are Happy To Take Your Order Over The Phone 252-646-1958 Explore Our Website And Find Joy In The History, Numismatics, Art, Mythology, And Geography Of Coins!!!

× Catalog Main Menu
Fine Coins Showcase
Antiquities Showcase
New & Reduced

Jun 08, 2023

Jun 07, 2023

Jun 03, 2023
Byzantine Coins

May 30, 2023

May 29, 2023

May 26, 2023

May 25, 2023

May 24, 2023

May 23, 2023

Apr 30, 2023

Apr 28, 2023

Mar 21, 2023
Judean & Biblical Coins

Mar 12, 2023

Mar 11, 2023

Jan 18, 2023

Dec 31, 2022

Dec 18, 2022

Nov 24, 2022

Nov 15, 2022
Judean & Biblical Coins

Nov 11, 2022

Nov 09, 2022

Nov 02, 2022

Oct 17, 2022

Sep 20, 2022

Sep 19, 2022

Aug 30, 2022

Jun 30, 2022

Apr 09, 2022

Mar 18, 2022

Mar 14, 2022

Feb 23, 2022

Feb 16, 2022

Jan 31, 2022

Nov 26, 2021

Jun 23, 2021

Nov 11, 2014
Books, Supplies & Services

Books, Supplies & Services
    View Categories
Home ▸ Catalog ▸ |Greek Coins| ▸ |Geographic - All Periods| ▸ |Greece| ▸ |Athens||View Options:  |  |  | 
Coins of Athens, Other Cities of Attica, and Athenian Imitatives

The ancient slang names for the coins of Athens were "owls" and "girls" (but in Greek of course). "Owls" were so popular as a central currency of the ancient world that the "old style" design remained essentially unchanged and somewhat archaic long after other cities began to produce coins of with more refined artistry. The Athens types were so popular, numerous imitatives were struck in the Levant, Egypt and elsewhere (we include those on this page too). Under Roman rule, as a semi-autonomous city, Athens struck "new style" (Hellenic style) tetradrachms. "Owls" are still very popular - for ancient Greek coin collectors, they are perhaps the most popular ancient coin type.

Athens, Attica, Greece, c. 440 - 404 B.C., Old Style Tetradrachm

|Athens|, |Athens,| |Attica,| |Greece,| |c.| |440| |-| |404| |B.C.,| |Old| |Style| |Tetradrachm||tetradrachm|
The old-style tetradrachm of Athens is famous for its almond shaped eye, archaic smile, and charming owl reverse. Around 480 B.C. a wreath of olive leaves and a decorative scroll were added to Athena's helmet. On the reverse, a crescent moon was added.

During the period 449 - 413 B.C. huge quantities of tetradrachms were minted to finance grandiose building projects such as the Parthenon and to cover the costs of the Peloponnesian War.SL110170. Silver tetradrachm, SNG Cop 31, SNG Munchen 49, Kroll 8, Dewing 1611, Gulbenkian 519, HGC 4 1597, SGCV I 2526, NGC Ch AU, strike 5/5, surface 3/5 (6556678-002), weight 17.189 g, maximum diameter 24.5 mm, die axis 0o, Athens mint, c. 440 - 404 B.C.; obverse head of Athena right, almond shaped eye, crested helmet with olive leaves and floral scroll, wire necklace, round earring, hair in parallel curves; reverse owl standing right, head facing, erect in posture, olive sprig and crescent left, ΑΘΕ downward on right, all within incuse square; ex Classical Numismatic Group, NGC| Lookup; $1450.00 (€1334.00)
 


Athens, Attica, Greece, c. 440 - 404 B.C., Old Style Tetradrachm

|Athens|, |Athens,| |Attica,| |Greece,| |c.| |440| |-| |404| |B.C.,| |Old| |Style| |Tetradrachm||tetradrachm|
The old-style tetradrachm of Athens is famous for its almond shaped eye, archaic smile, and charming owl reverse. Around 480 B.C. a wreath of olive leaves and a decorative scroll were added to Athena's helmet. On the reverse, a crescent moon was added.

During the period 449 - 413 B.C. huge quantities of tetradrachms were minted to finance grandiose building projects such as the Parthenon and to cover the costs of the Peloponnesian War.SL110173. Silver tetradrachm, SNG Cop 31, SNG Munchen 49, Kroll 8, Dewing 1611, Gulbenkian 519, HGC 4 1597, SGCV I 2526, NGC Ch AU, strike 5/5, surface 4/5 (6556678-005), weight 17.212 g, maximum diameter 24.8 mm, die axis 225o, Athens mint, c. 440 - 404 B.C.; obverse head of Athena right, almond shaped eye, crested helmet with olive leaves and floral scroll, wire necklace, round earring, hair in parallel curves; reverse owl standing right, head facing, erect in posture, olive sprig and crescent left, ΑΘΕ downward on right, all within incuse square; ex Classical Numismatic Group, NGC| Lookup; $1530.00 (€1407.60)
 


Persian Empire, Philistia (Gaza or Samaria), c. 375 - 333 B.C., Imitative of Athens

|Persian| |Rule|, |Persian| |Empire,| |Philistia| |(Gaza| |or| |Samaria),| |c.| |375| |-| |333| |B.C.,| |Imitative| |of| |Athens||obol|
A Persian Period imitation of Athenian types from the Holy Land. In the past these coins were all attributed to Gaza, however, recent hoard finds indicate a mint at Ashkelon probably also struck this type. It is likely that at least several small mints struck these imitative types.GS110013. Silver obol, cf. Samaria Hoard pls. 45 - 50, SH269 ff.; Gitler-Tal 4.4.IX.1O; SNG ANS 18; Sofaer Gaza pl. 103, 6, F, toned, off center, die wear, tight somewhat squared flan, ragged edge, weight 0.478 g, maximum diameter 8.7 mm, Gaza(?) mint, c. 375 - 333 B.C.; obverse head of Athena right, wearing crested Attic helmet with three olive leaves over visor and a spiral palmette on the bowl, hair in parallel bands, eye in profile; reverse owl standing right, wings closed, head facing, olive spray with one olive between two leaves and a crescent behind, AΘE downward on right, all in incuse square, no Aramaic inscription; ex Classical Numismatic Group, ex Richard L. Horst Collection; $65.00 (€59.80)
 










REFERENCES

Babelon, J. Catalogue de la collection de Luynes: monnaies greques. (Paris, 1924-1936).
Babelon, E. Traité des Monnaies Grecques et Romaines. (Paris, 1901-1932).
Bingen, J. "Le trésor de tétradrachmes attiques de style Pi" in MIGRA I. (Gent, 1975).
Bingen, J. "Le trésor monétaire Thorikos 1969" in Thorikos VI. (Brussels, 1973).
Boehringer, C. Zur Chronologie mittelhellenistischer Münzserien 220-160 v. Chr. AMUGS V. (Berlin, 1972).
de Callatay, F. "Athenian new style tetradrachms in Macedonian hoards" in AJN 3-4 (New York, 1992).
Filipova, S. Coin Collections and Coin Hoards from Bulgaria, Numismatic Collection of the Regional Historical Museum at Pazardzhik. CCCHBulg V. (Sophia, 2015).
Fischer-Bossert, W. "More Athenian Decadrachms" in SNR 88. (2009).
Fischer-Bossert, W. The Athenian Decadrachm, ANSNNM 168. (New York, 2008).
Flament, C. Le monnayage en argent d'Athènes. De l'époque archaïque à l'époque hellénistique (c. 550-c. 40 av. J.-C.). (Lovain-la-Neuve, 2007).
Forrer, L. Descriptive Catalogue of the Collection of Greek Coins formed by Sir Hermann Weber, Vol. II: Macedon, Thrace, Thessaly, North western, central and southern Greece. (London, 1924).
Gitler, H., O. Tal, & P. van Alfen. "Silver Dome-shaped Coins from Persian-period Southern Palestine" in INR 2 (2007), pp. 47 - 62, pls. 5-12.
Habicht, Ch. "Zu den Münzmagistraten der Silberprägung des Neuen Stils" in Chiron 21 (1991), pp. 1-23.
Head, B. Catalogue of Greek Coins in the British Museum, Attica - Megaris - Aegina. (London, 1888).
Hoover, O. Handbook of Greek Coins. (Lancaster, PA, 2009 - ).
Kroll, J. The Greek Coins. The Athenian Agora, vol. XXVI. (Princeton, 1993).
Kroll, J. "The Reminting of Athenian Silver Coinage, 353 B.C.," Hesperia, Vol. 80. (2011).
Kraay, C. Coins of Ancient Athens. Minerva Numismatic Handbooks No. 2. (Newcastle upon Tyne, 1968).
Kraay, C. Archaic and Classical Greek Coinage. (London, 1976).
Kraay, C. Coins of Ancient Athens. Minerva Numismatic Handbooks N. 2. (Newcastle upon Tyne, 1968).
Kraay, C. "The archaic owls of Athens: classification and chronology" in NC 166 (1956) 34-68.
Kroll, J. The Athenian Agora. The Greek Coins, Vol. 26. (Princeton, 1993).
Kroll, J. "From Wappenmünzen to Gorgoneia to Owls" in ANSMN 26 (1981) pp. 1-32.
Lewis, D. "The Chronology of the Athenian New Style Coinage" in NC 1962, pp. 275-300.
Lindgren, H. & F. Kovacs. Ancient Bronze Coins of Asia Minor and the Levant. (San Mateo, 1985).
Macdonald, G. "Amphora letters on coins of Athens" in NC 19 (1899), pp. 288 - 321.
Macdonald, G. Catalogue of Greek Coins in the Hunterian Collection, University of Glascow, Vol II: N.W. Greece, Central Greece, S. Greece, and Asia Minor. (Glasgow, 1901).
Mattingly, H. "The Beginning of Athenian New Style Silver Coinage" in NC 150 (1990), pp. 67-78.
Mildenberg, L. & S. Hurter, eds. The Dewing Collection of Greek Coins. ACNAC 6. (New York, 1985).
Mørkholm, O. "The Chronology of the New Style Silver Coinage of Athens" in ANSMN 29. (New York, 1984).
Nicolet-Pierre, H & J. Kroll. "Athenian Tetradrachm Coinage of the Third Century BC" in AJN 2 (1990). pp. 1-35.
Puglisi, M. "La monetazione bronzea di nuovo stile ateniese" in Rivista Italiana di Numismatica 97 (1996), pp. 43-82.
Robinson, E. & G. Jenkins. A Catalogue of the Calouste Gulbenkian Collection of Greek Coins, Vol. II: Greece to East.. (Lisboa, 1971-89).
Sear, D. Greek Coins and Their Values, Vol. 1: Europe. (London, 1978).
Seltman, C. Athens, its history and coinage before the Persian invasion. (Cambridge, 1924).
Sverdrup, H. The history and catalogue of the tetradrachms of Athens. (Stockholm, 2010).
Starr, C. Athenian coinage 480-449 BC. (London, 1970).
Svoronos, J. Les monnaies d'Athenes. (Munich, 1923-26).
Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum, Denmark, The Royal Collection, Danish National Museum, Vol. 3: Greece: Thessaly to Aegean Islands. (New Jersey, 1982).
Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum, Deutschland, München Staatlische Münzsammlung, Part 14: Attika, Megaris, Ägina. (Berlin, 2002).
Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum, France, Bibliothèque National, Collection Jean et Marie Delepierre. (Paris, 1983).
Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum, Great Britain III, R.C. Lockett Collection, Part 3: Macedonia - Aegina (gold and silver). (London, 1942).
Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum, Sweden: Sammlung Eric von Post. (Stockholm, 1995).
Sundwall, J. "Ueber eine neue attische Serie" in ZfN 26 (1908), pp. 273 - 274.
Sundwall, J. Untersuchungen über die attischen Münzen des neueren Stiles. (Helsingfors, 1907).
Thompson, M. The New Style Silver Coinage of Athens. ANSNS 10 (New York, 1961).
van Alfen, P. "A New Athenian 'Owl' and Bullion Hoard from the Near East" in AJN 16 - 17 (2004-05). pp. 47-61, pl. 6-17.

Catalog current as of Thursday, June 8, 2023.
Page created in 1.266 seconds.
All coins are guaranteed for eternity