Ron Landis' Athenian dekadrachm

American engraver Ron Landis is well known in hobo nickel circles but his replicas of ancient coins have attracted little attention. I could not find his Athenian dekadrachm replica in Fischer-Bossert's The Athenian Decadrachm.

Landis engraved dies for Athenian dekadrachms, tetradrachms, and didrachms. According to Dr. Lawrence J. Lee World Coins & Medals, Landis' company Gallery Mint Museum minted quantities “in the upper hundreds” (I believe in 2000). In 2007 Lee's company restruck “no more than 100 of any denomination”.

The Gallery Mint Museum closed in 2005. Photos of Landis and the manufacturing equipment can be seen at Arkansas Road Stories.

At least one “dekadrachm” was struck in gold, weighing 3.4 troy oz (or 106g!)

Ron Landis apparently described his engraving technique in “Hand engraving and die sinking”, published by the ANS in Coinage of the Americas Conference: The medal in America (vol. 2, 1997). (Has anyone seen this? I do not have a copy.)



UPDATE: Dr. Wolfgang Fischer-Bossert wrote to remind us that his book does not include fantasies that are neither dangerous nor meant to deceive.