Essex Jewelry and Antiques
c1910 Pair 18k Yellow Gold Greek Macedonian Silver Tetradrachm Coin Cufflinks
Regular price
$1,224.00
Presented is a handsome pair of antique 18 karat yellow gold cufflinks set with Greek silver coins. These cufflinks date to circa 1910 and are likely of American make. The head of each cufflink is four-prong set with what looks like an ancient Macedonian tetradrachm coin, with Herakles in the Nemeian lion skin on the obverse and Zeus enthroned with his eagle and sceptre on the reverse. The coins certainly look old enough to be real antiquities, but we are not qualified to evaluate them beyond the metal content and this rough identification. Whatever the case, the coins are an interesting focal point to a well constructed pair of cufflinks, to which someone has dedicated a significant weight in high karat gold and a considerable degree of skill in construction.
The gold mounts are in great shape, with no significant wear, no breaks, and no repairs, though the gold could stand to be polished up some, but we leave this to the buyer as we did not want to interfere with the patina of the coins. The coins are quite tarnished and we have opted to leave them in the condition we found them.
The gold mounts are not stamped or hallmarked that we could find, but we have tested them with nitric acid and guarantee them to be 18 karat gold. The coins are silver, of at least 900 purity.
Each cufflink measures about ¾ of an inch in diameter, with about 7/8 of an inch for a gap between the head and the submarine back.
The total weight for the pair is 12.8 grams.
-jm