EGYPT. Pharaonic Kingdom. Uncertain pharaoh(s). Late 5th-mid 4th centuries B.C. AR tetradrachm. 17.02 gm. 21 mm. Imitating Athens. Helmeted head of Athena right with frontal eye; c/m: uncertain letters or symbols within rectangular incuse / Owl standing right, head facing; olive sprig and crescent to left, ΑΘΕ to right; all within incuse square; c/m: uncertain letter or symbol. Van Alfen pl. 8. Van Alfen, Mechanisms, Group III.A.1, Fig. 1 = Buttrey Type B. Very Fine; pleasantly toned with red iridescent highlights; well centered; unusually attractive style. Handsome example.

In ancient times, the Athenian tetradrachm was widely accepted as a trade coin around the Mediterranean and frontier regions to the East, due to its high mintages and the reliable fineness of its silver. Its recurring motif of the head of Athena and the owl were widely imitated by various local authorities. In the 5th and 4th centuries BC, these included Persia, Bactria, Phoenicia, Judaea, Samaria, Egypt, and Arabia, peaking in the 4th century BC. when official production of owls declined after the Peloponnesian War ended in 404 BC. The arrival of Alexander the Great and the spread of his tetradrachms replaced the owls, with the exception of South Arabia, where the obverse evolved from the female form of Athena to the male.