Attica. Athens. 440-420 BC. AR Tetradrachm (17.17g, 3h). Flament 6.12; Svoronos 14.15. Lightly toned. Exceptional for issue. Choice extremely fine. From the Sadijas collection

Athenian tetradrachm, the famous "owl", is unquestionably one of the most influential coin of all time! When Athens emerged as the greatest of all Greek cities, "owls" were the most widely used international coin. President Theodore Roosevelt is said to have carried an "owl" in his pocket, using this to convince the famous sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens to redesign American coinage so it would be as beautiful as that of the ancient Greeks. This resulted in the most beautiful American coin of all time... the Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle.