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Documented specimen · The Met collection

An Athenian silver tetradrachm, catalogued by The Met.

This page documents one real coin in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection. The catalog facts and identifications below come from The Met's catalog; the captions describe only what the collection photographs visibly show. This page is not a Coin Says Hi reading, a visitor upload, or a prior analysis.

Try your own coin photo
Metropolitan Museum collection photograph of the tetradrachm's obverse showing a profile head in a crested helmet.
The Met's collection view of the obverse: a profile head in a crested, helmet-like headdress. The catalog attributes the figure to Athena; the photograph alone cannot establish that identification.
Metropolitan Museum collection photograph of the tetradrachm's reverse showing a standing bird beside an olive sprig and Greek letters.
The Met's collection view of the reverse: a standing bird figure — identified by the catalog as the type's owl — beside an olive sprig and the Greek letters ΑΘΕ.

What The Met catalog records

Object
Tetradrachm
Attribution
Greek, Attica
Date
circa 440–404 BCE
Medium
Silver
Diameter
24 mm
Credit line
Bequest of Nanette B. Kelekian, 2020

The Met collection record for object 2021.40.80

How the catalog describes it

  • The Met catalog identifies the coin type's obverse as Athena and its reverse as an owl.
  • The catalog explains that the tetradrachm was a high-value denomination.

What this page does not show

  • This is a museum collection specimen. Coin Says Hi did not analyze it, no visitor submitted it, and this page is not a reading.
  • The catalog credit line records an acquisition, not a complete ownership chain or an archaeological findspot.
  • The Met's identification, date, and design description are catalog claims about this object. They cannot authenticate, grade, assess the condition of, establish the rarity of, or value this coin or any other.
  • A coin photograph can support comparison; it cannot prove identity, authenticity, grade, rarity, or market value.
  • These two collection photographs show one object's two faces; they do not document its edge, weight, die variety, or how the piece has worn over time.

Keep comparing independently

  1. Open The Met's object record and compare its catalog claims with the collection photographs.
  2. For a coin that resembles this type, record your own observations and compare them with an independent catalogue rather than these images.
  3. If authenticity, grade, or value matters, consult a qualified numismatic professional.

Further reading: Why very old coins stretch photo limits · Identify a coin from visible details

All documented specimens

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