CNG 105, Lot: 113. Estimate $500. Sold for $1300. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

ATTICA, Athens. Circa 454-404 BC. AR Tetradrachm (23mm, 17.14 g, 8h). Helmeted head of Athena right, with frontal eye; c/m on cheek: bearded male head right within incuse circle / Owl standing right, head facing; olive sprig and crescent behind; all within incuse square. Kroll 8; HGC 4, 1597. EF, test cut on reverse. Interesting countermark.

From the Friend of a Scholar Collection. Ex Lanz 48 (22 May 1989), lot 248.

The tetradrachms of Athens saw an incredibly broad circulation area, from Egypt to Afghanistan, and as such passed through the hands of a myriad of peoples. In some of these areas, merchants or officials would countermark the coins, perhaps as a mark of approval of the weight and purity. The types on these marks are widely varied, ranging from simple chisel cuts, to punched letters, to elaborate types, some even duplicating those found on the coin itself (see CNG E-283, lot 82).