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Bobby83

Found this in my grandmother's old jewelry box after she passed away, can anyone tell me if it's real or fake..thanks

asheland

It appears to be a cast copy.

CIVITAS

This may be an ancient imitative piece from Phoenicia or Palestine. Size in mm. and weight in g. would help determine this.

Elmhurst

Probably reproduction that broke off from a necklace.

Bobby83

@CIVITAS said:
This may be an ancient imitative piece from Phoenicia or Palestine. Size in mm. and weight in g. would help determine this.

It looks like the athena owl coin well that's what a few people have told me I have no way to weigh it, it's the size of a nickel I'll try to get the weight, thanks

Bobby83

@Elmhurst said:
Probably reproduction that broke off from a necklace.

It has no broken place on it,, thanks

Bobby83

@asheland said:
It appears to be a cast copy.

How could I tell if it was, thanks

Sapyx

Sadly, it is not a genuine coin. It is a mass-produced replica, apparently distributed by Reader's Digest to promote a book on Ancient Greece. I have seen them turn up on coin forums many, many times - they often cause confusion as they are almost always no longer associated with the advertising that Readers Digest sent out. They are, however, almost always found in that exact same style of coin capsule, so that is presumably how they originally were distributed.

The obverse is rendered reasonably well, and can look genuine in good light. The reverse, on the other hand, is quite badly mangled, with the owl's eyes getting the Edvard Munch treatment and the owl's wings looking like two planks of wood.