A Rare Coin Depicting Brutus, Caesar’s Infamous Assassin, Sells for $2 Million

A gold coin depicting Marcus Junius Brutus—the Roman senator who assassinated Julius Caesar, fatally stabbing him 23 times with a group of co-conspirators—has sold for €1.98 million (just over $2 million), nearly doubling its pre-auction estimate.

The front of the coin features Brutus’ profile bordered by a laurel wreath. The back depicts a breastplate, helmet, shield and spears—a collection of equipment celebrating military victories.

Known as an aureus, a type of gold currency used in ancient Rome, it was issued in 43 or 42 B.C.E., soon after Caesar’s murder in 44 B.C.E.

“This aureus of Brutus is one of the rarest and most significant of all ancient coinage and represents a moment that shaped the history of the Roman Empire,” Alain Baron, the founder of the auction house Numismatica Genevensis SA, tells Artnet’s Verity Babbs.

Before the murder, Brutus and Caesar were close allies. Caesar’s feelings of shock and betrayal were later dramatized in William Shakespeare’s famous 1599 play: As he dies, he utters the famous line “Et tu, Brute?” (Latin for “You too, Brutus?”).

The gold coin was “cast not in Rome but in a mint that travelled with Brutus and his armies as he tried to seize power after the assassination of Julius Caesar,” Frank Baldacci, head of the auction house, told Agence France-Presse earlier this month.

Baldacci added that the aureus had a “propaganda value” and that the laurel wreath imagery suggests that Brutus was “someone who wants to promote himself as emperor.” Brutus didn’t hold the title of emperor, though the letters “IMP”—an abbreviation for “imperator”—are engraved beside his face.

According to Live Science’s Kristina Killgrove, Brutus used these coins to pay his soldiers, and the gold aureus was worth about a month of a soldier’s salary. Unfortunately for Brutus, the coin’s run was quite short. The assassination angered the Roman people, and Brutus eventually went into exile. He died during a battle in Philippi, Greece, in 42 B.C.E.

This particular gold aureus comes from the collection of the 20th-century Italian politician Giuseppe Mazzini. It is only one of 17 of its kind that are known to have survived. Ahead of the sale, Baldacci told AFP that the bidding “could go quite high.”

He added that the tiny gold artifact is like “the da Vinci of Roman coins.”

When the auction began on December 9, eight parties engaged in an intense online bidding war, according to AFP. The coin ultimately went to an unnamed European collector.

While the aureus’ price tag is high, its authenticity has been the subject of debate. Nearly a decade ago, a journal called the Numismatic Chronicle published an article analyzing the rare coin’s characteristics—and noting some discrepancies in the alignment of its designs. 

Baron tells Live Science that the aureus “was never questioned by any of the experts that saw the coin physically,” adding that it has been certified by the Numismatic Guaranty Company.

Julia Binswanger | READ MORE

Julia Binswanger is a freelance arts and culture reporter based in Chicago. Her work has been featured in WBEZ, Chicago magazine, Rebellious magazine and PC magazine.