Classical Numismatic Group, LLC
Triton XXIV 19-20 Jan 2021
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ATTICA, Athens. Circa 510-500/490 BC. AR Tetradrachm (24mm, 17.31 g, 8h). Head of Athena right, wearing earring and crested Attic helmet decorated with tiny spiral on the back of the bowl / Owl standing right, head facing; AΘE to right, olive sprig to right; all within incuse square. Seltman Group L, 328 (A214/P273) = Svoronos, Monnaies, pl. 6, 7 (same dies); HGC 4, 1589; Rhousopoulos 1945 var. (placement of ethnic and branch; same obv. die). Attractively toned, minor copper oxide deposits. EF. An exceptional Archaic Athens tetradrachm, perfectly centered on a broad flan, revealing full crest.
The grouping and arrangement of the issues in Seltman have undergone a number of transformations as our knowledge of the series evolved with the discovery of a number of hoards over the past few decades, primarily that of the Asyut Hoard. It is fairly certain now that Seltman Group H was the earliest of the famous Owl series, followed shortly thereafter by the coins of Group L. A salient characteristic of the tetradrachms of Group H is the numerous variations of placement of the ethnic and olive branch in the field around the reverse, exemplifying the experimentation that is so often characteristic of an early series of coinage. It seems that the engravers were given free reign to design the reverses as they saw fit. With Group L, the ethnic and branch assume their canonical placement in the field, which endured on all of the subsequent series, lasting into the early second century BC. The present coin is from a set of dies that is regarded as transitional, in that it retains the "experimental" aspect of the placement of these features from Group H, but is obverse die linked to these "standardized" issues of Group L. Thus, Seltman's placement of this die combination at the beginning of the group is well justified.
The grouping and arrangement of the issues in Seltman have undergone a number of transformations as our knowledge of the series evolved with the discovery of a number of hoards over the past few decades, primarily that of the Asyut Hoard. It is fairly certain now that Seltman Group H was the earliest of the famous Owl series, followed shortly thereafter by the coins of Group L. A salient characteristic of the tetradrachms of Group H is the numerous variations of placement of the ethnic and olive branch in the field around the reverse, exemplifying the experimentation that is so often characteristic of an early series of coinage. It seems that the engravers were given free reign to design the reverses as they saw fit. With Group L, the ethnic and branch assume their canonical placement in the field, which endured on all of the subsequent series, lasting into the early second century BC. The present coin is from a set of dies that is regarded as transitional, in that it retains the "experimental" aspect of the placement of these features from Group H, but is obverse die linked to these "standardized" issues of Group L. Thus, Seltman's placement of this die combination at the beginning of the group is well justified.