A gold coin from the first century B.C.E. featuring Brutus, the close ally and assassin of Julius Caesar, is anticipated to sell for more than $1.1 million at an auction in Switzerland.
The profile of the the mastermind believed to have orchestrated Caesar’s death is featured on the coin.
His name is spelled out on one side of his head. The other side reads ‘CASCA LONGUS’, another one of the Roman senators serving at the time who had a hand in the premeditated ambush that saw the Senate turn on its leader, fatally stabbing him 23 times.
surpass $1 million at auction Numismatica Genevensis SA
The featured coin was minted before Caesar’s assassination and is one of 17 known to have survived.
Very few were even made to begin with and there were multiple versions, including later ones reading ‘EID MAR’, referencing the Ides of March–the same day as Caesar’s murder.
Brutus’ legacy beyond his plot to kill the emperor includes his storied military successes, having been popular among his soldiers for his generosity and hefty pay. He wound up taking his own life in 42 B.C.E. following a failed battle against Mark Antony, a relative of Caesar’s who later usurped power and rose to emperor.
March. Bettmann Archive
The ancient coin holds a sale price well over a million, clocking in at 966,526 Swiss Francs, or $1.1 million American dollars.
While the sale of the coin is highly anticipated, it isn’t set to break any major records. In 2021, a 1933 Double Eagle coin sold at a Sotheby’s auction for an inconceivable $18,872,250–totally exceeding the coin’s actual estimated value by several million dollars.
The record for the most expensive ancient coin is far more reasonable, belonging to 2,000-year-old gold Greek coin that sold for $6 million in 2023.
More acclaimed Roman coins could be coming to auctions in droves in the coming years. The largest-ever collection of Roman coins was unearthed in Britain just last week, filled with coins dating back to Emperor Nero’s era. Nero, one of the most disgraced emperors in Rome’s history, is best known for allegedly sparking the Great Fire of Rome that nearly burned the city to the ground.
The gold aureus coin is included in a trio set at the Swiss capital’s Beau-Rivage Hotel on Dec. 9 and 10.
