Banca Nazionale del Lavoro token (45.5g, 43mm). This darkly toned lead-based pewter token was issued by Banca Nazionale del Lavoro (BLN), an Italian bank in Argentina, probably as a promotional item. The owl''s body is positioned forward, as on Athenian dekadrachms and some fractions, rather than to the right, as on most tetradrachms. The legend "ATHE" on the obverse is missing the A from ancient Owls, and there''s no crescent moon. The reverse legend reads, "Your exploits have their reward." Unlike most of the other pieces on this page, it was deliberately made to affect the appearance of antiquity. I''m not aware of when this token was made or the specific circumstances surrounding its issue. If you know, please let me know.

Greek National Archaeological Museum token (3.6g, 20mm). This pewter token was distributed by Greece''s National Archaeological Museum in the 1960s. The reverse of this token reads: "Athens tetradrachm/Fifth century BC." The Roman numeral "III" indicates that this piece is the third of a series of similar tokens from the museum honoring ancient coins. It''s unclear what the iconography below the legend signifies. If you know, please let me know. On the obverse, the theta is missing a central dot. The National Archaeological Museum, originally named the Central Museum, was established in 1829, the same year that modern Greece gained independence from Turkey. Residing first on the island of Aegina, it has been situated in Athens since the late 1800s and is Greece''s largest museum.

British Petroleum token (4.1g, 20mm). This pewter token, which has the same obverse and same flan shape as the above National Archaeological Museum token, was given away with other ancient coin tokens as premiums at British Petroleum petrol (gas) stations in France in the early 1970s. The reverse reads: "The Treasure of Ancient Money, BP Collection, Athenian Tetradrachm, 5th Century BC." Similar tokens, with legends in Dutch, were given away in the Netherlands. I don''t know if they were given out in other countries as well. If you know, please let me know. British Petroleum, now known as BP, is a multinational oil company headquartered in London. It had its origins searching for oil in Persia, current-day Iran, in the earlier 1900s and today is the third largest oil company in the world behind ExxonMobil and Royal Dutch Shell.

Geocaching token (43.8g, 45mm). Like the above two pieces, this is another pewter token, though it''s considerably larger, is new, and was minted in China. It''s a nicely designed and crafted token with an antique matte finish honoring ancient Greece with a classical owl on the obverse and the Parthenon on the reverse. This and similar tokens, or "geocoins," are used by aficionados of "geocaching," which is a treasure hunting game based on the Global Positioning System (GPS). Participants use handheld GPS units that connect to one of the GPS satellites orbiting the Earth in order to find "treasures" such as this token, which they hide under rocks in the woods and similar places. When you find a cache, you take something from it and replace it with something else. Other items that people hide in these caches include books, software, hardware, CDs, and videos. You can learn more at Geocaching.com. This particular geocoin has a tracking number, which lets people track through this Web site where this token has been and the experiences people have had in finding it.

Congo 2003 gold commemorative coin (1.3g, 14mm). This .999 gold proof paid tribute to the 2004 Olympics in Athens. It features a standing lion on the obverse, a symbol of Congo, with the obverse inscription, in French, translating into "Olympic Games 2004 Athens/Democratic Republic of the Congo." The nominal value of this noncirculating legal tender piece is 20 francs but the intrinsic value of the gold is much higher. The reverse depicts an ancient classical Athenian Owl tetradrachm to honor Greece''s ancient tradition. This commemorative coin was minted in 2003 and 2004 by Congo to honor the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, held in Athens, Greece, from August 13 to August 29, 2004. Congo was one of the 201 participating countries. Congo, formerly Zaire, is one of two neighboring countries with "Congo" in their name. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC, DR Congo, or Congo-Kinshasa) is the larger of the two. Sierra Leone also issued commemorative coins for the Athens Olympics that depict an owl from Athenian Owls, two different types, but in both cases the owl is a small subsidiary device.

The Elongated Collectors 1981 15th Anniversary medal (2.5g, 34mm). This elongated coin was made from a 1926 U.S. Mercury dime to commemorate the 15th anniversary of The Elongated Collectors (TEC) in 1981. The Classical Athenian Owl design is a favorite of TEC, appearing on most of its membership coins. Elongated coins are pressed using a jeweler''s mill, with the design engraved into one of its two steel rollers, which imparts the design to the coin and stretches it out. The pressing effect is similar to what happens when you place a coin on a railroad track to be run over by a train. Elongated coins, which are quite legal, are often sold as souvenirs at museum and landmark gift shops, zoos, amusement parks, county fairs, and other touristy locations. Cents are used most often, but other coins and blank copper slugs are used too. The first elongated coins in the U.S. are thought to have been created at the World''s Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago. The above piece looks similar in hand as in this photo, with the obverse having an orange cast and the reverse being shallowly engraved