Greek AOE coin? Real? Value?
Hi there, I inherited this coin from my dad who got it from his father in Britain. I am wondering whether this coin is real or not and if so how much it might be worth and even possibly where it could be sold. It is very heavy, weighing about 18 grams, and I’m not sure about why there is a small chunk that seems to have maybe been gouged from the center of the owl. Any help/info you could provide would be great thanks!
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That's an Athens Owl from ancient Greece. It is made out of silver and the denomination is tetradrachm. The one in my picture sold for $2000 US dollars during a 2022 auction.
Your coin has been heavily damaged, with scrapings on Athena's face and a big gouge in the owl. This damage lowers the value substantially. My guess is that you could sell your coin for about $800.
For details about selling, see this page:
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Paul Richards Hi Paul, Do you reckon this coin could be cleaned up? I’m just wondering about the value. There’s another one too. But that’s clean.
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Paul Richards
hey thanks for your evaluation. Just for clarity do you mean USD $800
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Luke Pemberton Hi Luke. Yes, that's my best estimate for retail value, USD $800. I think a collector would pay that much. Selling to a dealer, not to a collector, is different. A dealer would probably pay USD $500, trying to make $300 profit to keep his or her business afloat.
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Lydia Western Lydia. The general advice is
NEVER CLEAN A COIN. CLEANING RUINS VALUE.
If you want to disregard that advice, it's a crap-shoot. You may make the coin look better, but it may be less valuable because collectors don't buy cleaned coins.
For your coin I'd try mild soap and warm water, which cannot damage the coin. Silver polish, on the other hand, will cause damage.
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Paul Richards
Thanks that makes sense. Would you happen to know collectors or anyone that might be interested in this coin?
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Sorry, I do not know anyone who is interested. For details about selling rare coins, see this page:
