
A rare Roman coin bearing the portrait of Brutus, one of the assassins of Julius Caesar, was sold at a Geneva auction on Monday, December 9, for 1.98 million euros, according to organiser Numismatica Genevensis. The coin was purchased by a “European collector following intense bidding among eight online bidders,” fetching over 1.83 million Swiss francs ($2.09 million), as stated by the auction house.
Initially valued at over 800,000 euros, the coin weighs eight grams and is about the size of a euro. Frank Baldacci, director of Numismatica Genevensis, described it as “a piece of history” marking the final chapters of the Roman Republic. “The coin was minted in 43-42 BC by Brutus and his supporters who murdered Julius Caesar in March 44 BC,” Baldacci explained.
The obverse of the coin features Brutus’s profile surrounded by a laurel wreath, while the reverse depicts war…
Source: Linda Ikeji