ATTICA, Athens. 3rd-early 2nd centuries BC. Bronze Counterfeiter’s Die. Brown surfaces, mostly covered by thick, rough green patina, with a small defect at its base, where a sample was taken for Twilley’s analysis.

CNG Feature Auction 127
Lot: 126.
Closing Date: Sep 18 2024 11:00 ET

Greek, Bronze

Estimate: $ 10 000

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ATTICA, Athens. 3rd-early 2nd centuries BC. Bronze Counterfeiter’s Die. Dimensions: 20mm on its face, expanding to a 37mm base, with a height of 55mm. Weight 474 grams. Features the incuse of the reverse type typical of Athenian pi-style: Owl standing left, head facing, with an olive spray and crescent to right, and the ethnic to the left, with the leading leg of the alpha obscured by the neck of the owl. Unlike official pi-style coinage, which has a reverse type without an incuse, this die would produce a square incuse when striking a coin blank. Unpublished, but the lot includes a scientific analysis produced by the renowned art conservationist John Twilley, establishing the ancient origin of this piece. Brown surfaces, mostly covered by thick, rough green patina, with a small defect at its base, where a sample was taken for Twilley’s analysis. Extremely rare.


The final winners of all CNG Feature Auction 127 lots will be determined during the live online sale that will be held on 17-18 September 2024. This lot is in Session One, which will begin 17 September at 9 AM ET.

Winning bids are subject to a 22.5% buyer's fee for bids placed on this website and 25% for all others.

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