Attic, Athens. Tetradrachm

Attic, Athens; So-called civic mint, ca. 505-500 BC, Tetradrachm, 16.44g. Seltman-Group G, similar to 292 (A192/P238). Obv: Head of Athena r. wearing plain helmet with geometric decorated crest, long hair in front of helmet ending in large, round, raised curls; disk earring. Rx: Small AΘ[E], small owl standing upright r., head facing; unusual olive branch to l.This is late in a group of trial coins that were issued as experiments to decide on the new Athena-and-Owl type. This coin can be identified as a later pattern issue from just before the Persian War, as it lacks the crescent moon which was added afterwards, a design which continued to be used for hundreds of years. Further indicating that this is a pattern coin is t he fact that it was very carefully minted, with a full-crested helmet on the obverse, and perfectly-centered owl on the reverse.. Toned EF