Rare Roman coin auctioned for almost CHF2 million in Geneva
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Rare Roman coin auctioned for almost CHF2 million in Geneva
A rare Roman coin with a portrait of Brutus, the assassin of Julius Caesar, was sold at a Geneva auction on Monday for CHF1.89 million ($2.15 million), according to the organiser of the sale, Numismatica Genevensis.
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The historical object was purchased by a European collector after “intense competition” among eight online bidders, the seller said in a statement. The coin was initially valued at more than €800,000 (CHF740,000).
Weighing 8g and similar in size to a euro, it represents “a piece of history” marking the last chapters of the Roman Republic, explained Frank Baldacci, director of Numismatica Genevensis, in an interview with news agency AFP before the sale.
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The coin was minted between 43 and 42BC by Brutus and his supporters, the same ones who killed Julius Caesar in March 44BC, Baldacci added. The coin’s obverse depicts Brutus’s profile surrounded by a laurel wreath, while the reverse features war symbols celebrating his military victories.
The laurel wreath, in particular, is a sign of “someone who wants to promote himself as emperor”, Baldacci pointed out, adding that its circulation had a “propaganda” value for Brutus.
The coin is one of only 17 known extant ones, according to the auction house. It resurfaced in the 1950s, was published in a private collector’s catalogue and later appeared in a 2006 auction in Zurich, where it was sold to another private collector for CHF360,000.
Translated from Italian by DeepL/ts
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