ATTICA. Athens. Circa 355-294 BC. Tetradrachm (Silver, 21 mm, 16.20 g, 9 h), a contemporary plated forgery, irregular mint. Head of Athena to right, with profile eye and wearing an Attic helmet adorned with olive leaves and a Pi-shaped palmette. Rev. ΑΘΕ Owl standing right, head facing; behind, crescent and olive spray. Cf. Kroll 15 and SNG Copenhagen 63-65 (all not plated). Nicely toned. Test cut on the reverse and very minor breaks in plating, otherwise, good very fine.


What makes this coin particularly interesting is that the plating covers the test cut, therefore proving that the cut was applied during the initial production to make the forgery look more convincing.