Tourist Souvenir - Copy Of Ancient?

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Author	Replies: 4 / Views: 1,576
Namnumis New Member Namibia 38 Posts	Posted 09/18/2017 09:22 am I'm aware that this is only a tourist souvenir from an unknown country. Can someone tell me if this souvenir is a copy of an actual ancient / or a close imitation of an actual ancient. Weight - 3.175 g Diameter - 14 to 18 mm Unknown metal - non magnetic Thanks in advance Report this Post to the Staff

Finn235 Pillar of the Community United States 6130 Posts	Posted 09/18/2017 10:38 am At that size it would be a copy of an Athens drachm. The weight should be 4.2 grams in that case, so this is likely made of plated copper or perhaps some sort of cupronickel or other white metal. From a stylistic standpoint, I feel this is likely a copy of an ancient copy; before Alexander the Great, the Athenian coinage was the currency of the land, and inspired copies across the entire Greek sphere of influence. These were not counterfeits per se (they were made in good silver) but rather hoped to cash in on the easily recognized and trusted design to be more widely accepted. Yours does not seem to have the standard A (TH) E legend, perhaps indicating a Near East copy using Aramaic? Maybe one of our Greek experts can chime in. Report this Post to the Staff
arnoldoe Valued Member Canada 266 Posts	Posted 09/18/2017 12:23 pm Yeah, its the small version of this, then copied in the near east in the 4th century, then copied again recently. not mine ATTICA, Athens. Circa 454-404 BC. AR Tetradrachm (24mm, 17.11g) Struck circa 440-420 BC. Obverse: Helmeted head of Athena right Reverse: Owl standing right, head facing; olive sprig and crescent behind; all within incuse square. Report this Post to the Staff
echizento Moderator United States 23731 Posts	Posted 09/18/2017 3:53 pm Yes a copy. We see this same type fairly often here. Report this Post to the Staff
Sap Moderator Australia 16842 Posts	Posted 09/18/2017 9:00 pm This specific "imitation owl", with the very flat, two-planks-of-wood wings and skewed, asymmetric eyes that look they've been borrowed from an Edvard Munch painting, has been seen many times on the forum before; apparently they were mass-produced for use as a mail-order book giveaway. Here's another example. Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis Report this Post to the Staff
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