ORC0128 Athens owl, c. 420 BC $1000 bill, aEF
$305.01
May-24-01 12:48:13

               ORC0128 Athens owl, c. 420 BC $1000 bill, aEF

Athens, AR tetradrachm, (16.74g) c. 420 BC, Helmeted head of Athena right.
/ AŘE Owl standing right, head facing, olive sprig and crescent behind.
Dewing 1598. Near EF, light scratches on jaw, another on the reverse right
field, some obverse porosity.

The thousand dollar bill of its time, Athenian tetradrachms circulated
throughout the ancient world. The sculptor Phideus who carved the statues
in the Parthenon was paid one tetradrachm every two days. If this
represented the wages of a skilled craftsman, the tetradrachm was indeed
valuable in its day.