Athens Classical "Owl" Tetradrachm

Attribution: Greece (Attica). Athens. Polis of Athens. c. 454–404 BC (dealer tag: 454–404 BC). AR. tetradrachm.

Obverse: Head of Athena right, wearing a crested Attic helmet ornamented with three olive leaves over the visor and a palmette/spiral scroll on the bowl; round earring and beaded necklace. The eye is rendered frontally in the archaizing 'almond' convention retained on this coinage.

Reverse: Owl standing right, head facing the viewer; to upper left an olive sprig with two leaves and a berry, and a crescent moon; all on a broad flan (the incuse square of the earlier issues is largely off-flan).

Weight: Weight not recorded on the CNG tag and not independently weighed; the type runs c. 17.2 g on the Attic standard.  Reference: Kroll 8; SNG Copenhagen 31; Sear (Greek) 2526; HGC 4, 1597