Transition From Frontal to Profile Eye

CNG 105, Lot: 115. Estimate $750. Sold for $2100. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

ATTICA, Athens. Circa 404/3–400/390 BC. AR Tetradrachm (23mm, 17.08 g, 8h). Helmeted head of Athena right, with frontal eye / Owl standing right, head facing; olive sprig and crescent behind; all within incuse square. Cf. Kroll 8 (obverse) and 15 (reverse); HGC 4, 1597 (obverse) and 1598 (reverse); Nomos 3, lot 91. Good VF, lightly toned. Well centered. Very rare transitional issue, bridging the frontal and profile eye coinages.

This exceptional piece clearly bridges the gap between the mid-late 5th century frontal eye issue that ended circa 404 BC, and the early 4th century profile eye issue that is thought to have begun circa 400/390 BC. Here, the general style is that found on the profile-eye issue, particularly the broad face of Athena on the obverse and the position of the letter alpha on the reverse (see, e.g., Kroll, “Athenian Tetradrachm Coinage of the First Half of the Fourth Century BC” in RBN CLVII [2011], p. 4 and fig. 1B). However, the salient feature of that coinage, the profile eye, is not present; the eye is still frontal. While it is possible that this may be a coin of the earliest phase of the nascent profile-eye issue, it is quite possible that this may be a remnant of a tentative issue bridging the two in the short period c. 404/3-400/390 BC that has no previously attributed silver. As with the early profile eye coinage, the rarity of this coinage today is likely a testament to not only the brevity of the issue, but also the success of the succeeding pi-style coinage in 353 BC, which was an attempt by the Athenian government to restrike all of the old silver coins within its territory.