06/04/2026
This is a beautiful example of 'The Athenian Owl' a tetradrachm struck between 440-404 BC. The obverse of the coin depicts the Goddess Athena, the reverse of the coin is a striking depiction of her Sacred Owl. This tetradrachm was so widely trusted and accepted, it became the first international currency. With this the coin also became wildly faked and copied, or even had state-sponsored imitations. Athens simply could not keep up with the demand for the coins, so other countries such as Egypt, Persia, Arabia, and the Levant, began to mint their own copies. These imitations were often of poorer quality artistically and slightly lower silver weights. However, they still circulated freely because the Owl design was an international stamp of reliability. Eventually, the problem of counterfeiting became such a problem that Athens passed The Law of Nicophon in 375/374 BC. The law required both official Athenian Owls and foreign imitations to be checked and verified by official money testers or 'dokimastes'. Forgers who were caught could be put to death. Luckily for us, the popularity of the coin left us with beautiful examples such as this one. Come check us out at 2711 South Caraway in Jonesboro, Arkansas we have so much more for you to see!
