Bidding war in Geneva Roman Brutus coin sold at auction for 1.84 million francs

An extremely rare Roman coin with the portrait of Brutus, the famous murderer of Julius Caesar, was auctioned off in Geneva on Monday for 1.84 million francs. This was announced by the coin dealer Numismatica Genevensis, which was responsible for the auction.

Keystone-SDA

09.12.2024, 21:30

09.12.2024, 22:15

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The gold coin was sold for more than 1.84 million Swiss francs including sales commission "to a European collector", as the company announced in a statement. The sale was an "intense battle between eight online bidders". The original price was over 742,000 euros.

This aureus (Roman gold coin) is "a piece of history" linked to the final chapters of the Roman Republic, Frank Baldacci, the director of Numismatica Genevensis, told the AFP news agency a few days ago.

The coin weighs 8 grams and is similar in size to a euro. It dates back to 42 BC and was minted by the Caesar murderer Brutus. On the obverse, it shows the profile of Brutus' head surrounded by laurel leaves - on the reverse, it celebrates Brutus' most recent military victories with warlike symbols. Brutus had tried to seize power after the assassination of Julius Caesar. The coin therefore also had a "propaganda value".

From hand to hand through the centuries

The aureus traveled through the centuries and was passed from hand to hand, where it was protected from the eyes of the public. It only came to light in the 1950s when it was published in the catalog of a private collector. The coin later turned up at an auction in Zurich in 2006, where it was sold to another private collector for 360,000 francs.

It is kept in an airtight container to prevent alteration and to "guarantee its authenticity", Baldacci said, explaining that certification is carried out by specialized companies by comparing it with other ancient coins and examining the gold used, among other things.

It is one of 17 known specimens.