The Athenian owl is considered one of the greatest coins, not only because of its beauty, but because of its elegant design—head of Athena on obverse, symbolic image on reverse, and identifying inscription—making it the prototype for centuries of coins worldwide.
Every collector should save to collect one.
There are several types of Athenian owls, with the first appearing circa 512 BCE. The owl graced Athenian coinage for 450 years. The earlier and latter designs, though collectible, are a far cry from the classical artistic standard flourishing between 440-404 BCE (and discussed in this article).
The tetradrachm (four drachmae) typically weighs 17 grams of a thick silver planchet.
Here is the obverse of Athena, the Olympian goddess of wisdom and war.
Here is the Athenian owl with olive spray (representing olive oil and peace—a gift from Athena) with crescent moon and inscription “ΑΘΕ,” an abbreviation of ΑΘΕΝΑΙΟΝ, “The Athenians.”
As you can see, the above coin has a test cut to make sure it is not a fourrée or silver-plated base metal counterfeit from ancient times.
Silver from the great mines at Laurian, about 50 kilometers from Athens, helped the city-state produce a great navy and powerful military.
In 431 BCE, the Peloponnesian War broke out between Sparta and Athens. Sparta defeated Athens in 404 BCE, marking the end of that iconic coin type. Athenian owl coins were still produced on smaller planchets in the late classical period. A thinner and wider version appeared circa 165 BCE. Hobbyists find these less desirable than the classical type featured above.
To learn more specifics about the Athenian owl tetradrachm, check out an excellent video by American Numismatic Society chief curator Peter van Alfen. The Numismatic Guarantee Corporation also has an informative post about the changes in styles of the Athenian owl in each of the main periods.
Here are reasons you should consider purchasing an Athenian Owl coin.
- They are plentiful in all conditions because they were mass produced between 440-404 BCE with hoards found in 1967 and 2018, flooding the market with excellent specimens.
- Debate continues among collectors about whether ancient coins should or should not be holdered; however, in this case, you might want to purchase a raw Athenian owl to feel its heavy silver in your palm. You’ll be transported to the Parthenon, the iconic temple at the Acropolis, Greece.
- Given its beauty, desirability and plentiful status, the Athenian owl is remarkably affordable. Recent Heritage archives show several being won with bids under $1000, as in this Choice AU example with excellent strike and surface.
- The Athens Tetradrachm is ranked 10th in Harlan Beck’s beautiful must-have glossy-papered 100 Greatest Ancient Coins (second edition) by Whitman Publishing.
- The coin’s iconic design remains a numismatic prototype, giving rise to today’s heads and tails obverse-reverse description.
- President Teddy Roosevelt is said to have carried an Athenian owl coin in his pocket to bring him luck. It inspired a new era of American coinage as he and sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens marveled at its beauty.
- The Athenian owl represents the birthplace of democracy as inspired in 507 BCE by lawgiver Cleisthenes who called his reforms “demokratia” (“rule by the people”).
Also keep in mind if you are in the market for an owl tetradrachm that it is also one of the most counterfeited and replicated of ancient coins. Unless you are an ancient expert, do not bid on or purchase this tetradrachm unless holdered by PCGS, NGC or ANACS.
Here are four fake examples in a quick search of eBay:
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