Nomos 22

ATTICA. Athens. Circa 510 BC. Tetradrachm (Silver, 25 mm, 17.34 g, 11 h). Head of Athena to right, wearing an Attic helmet with a crest and a spiral decoration on the bowl behind her ear. Rev. ΑΘΕ Owl standing to right, head facing; in the field to left, ethnic reading upwards; in the field at the bottom right, an olive sprig of three leaves without berry; all within an incuse square. Cf. Seltman 328 (O A214/R -, but very close to P273, albeit not the same) = Svoronos, Trésor, pl. 6, 7. Cf. Svoronos Trésor pl. 6, 9-11 (same obverse die). Of great rarity and of lovely late Archaic style. Good very fine.

This coin is apparently the first of Seltman's Group L, which was the series that followed Group H, the first of Athens' Athena/Owl coinage. Group H is notable for the high relief Archaic heads of Athena on their obverses, the deep reverse incuse squares, and the varying positions of the ethnic and the olive sprig. The canonic design of all the Athenian owl tetradrachms minted prior to 480 - with the unwreathed helmeted head of Athena on the obverse and, on the reverse, the owl right, the olive sprig on the upper left and the ethnic reading downwards on the right - started up as soon as this coin was issued. As can be seen on this coin, the reverse types follow those of Group H since the ethnic reads upwards on the left and the olive sprig is on the lower right. In fact, it might be reasonable to consider this coin as the last issue of Group H rather than as the first of Group L.