Ancient Athens Greece Athena Owl Tetradrachm AR Silver Coin 440-404 BC Ch VF

  
Struck sometime between 440 and 404 B. This Greek Silver Tetradrachm was minted in Athens, the capital city of Attica, a region of the Greek empire.

It features perhaps the most iconic and instantly recognizable designs found on ancient coinage: the Athenian Owl, flanked by the crescent moon, olive branch, and monogram of its city of origin. The obverse features the goddess Athena herself, protected by her beautifully designed helmet. I bought this coin about 20 years ago and its been in my collection until now, I would probably put it between a VF and choice VF because of how well it was struck but please judge for yourself by the pictures. Weighs a hefty 17.02 grams of silver.

Part of what makes these coins so iconic is that they are the first mass-circulated coin ever produced! In fact, many of the skilled laborers and soldiers who were paid with these coins simply had no idea what a coin was, resulting in many coins being marked with knives or other instruments used to cut into their surface and confirm their contents.

ANCIENT HISTORY YOU CAN HOLD IN YOUR HANDS Each coin is approximately 2,400 years old from a time when Athens was a cultural center of the world and the heart of ancient Greece. Athens was a key city-state that laid the foundations for Western civilization. When one thinks of ancient Athens, images of the Acropolis, the Parthenon and the Temple of Zeus come to mind. Now you can hold an actual piece of that history in your hands!

EACH COIN STRUCK BY HAND Your Athenian Owl Silver Tetradrachm was carefully struck by ancient artisans more than two millennia ago. Because of this, no two coins are exactly alike!

HISTORIC DESIGNS THAT INFLUENCED MODERN COINAGE These Owls proved very wise. Athena was the goddess of wisdom and warfare and the patron goddess of Athens. In Greek mythology, she was the daughter of Zeus. The owl is Athenas familiar and, according to legend, she sometimes took the form of her owl.

President Teddy Roosevelt was said to have carried an Athenian Owl coin in his pocket, which in turn inspired him to order the redesign of U. Coins in the early 1900s. The item "Ancient Athens Greece Athena Owl Tetradrachm AR Silver Coin 440-404 BC Ch VF" is in sale since Saturday, October 31, 2020. This item is in the category "Coins & Paper Money\Coins\ Ancient\Greek (450 BC-100 AD)". The seller is "hotan2009" and is located in Aliso Viejo, California.

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1. Denomination: Tetradrachm
2. Composition: Silver
3. Year: 404 BC
4. Era: Ancient
5. Country/Region of Manufacture: Greece
6. Grade: VF
7. Date: 440-404 BC
8. Historical Period: Greek (450 BC-100 AD)
9. Cleaned/Uncleaned: Uncleaned
10. Certification: Uncertified