A rare Roman coin featuring the portrait of Brutus, the assassin of Julius Caesar, sold for €1.98 million at a Geneva auction hosted by Numismatica Genevensis on Monday. The coin was purchased by a European collector after a heated bidding war involving eight online participants, ultimately reaching 1.83 million Swiss francs ($2.09 million), as reported by the auction house.
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Initially priced at over €800,000, the eight-gram coin, about the size of a euro, was described by Frank Baldacci, director of Numismatica Genevensis, as “a piece of history” marking the final days of the Roman Republic.
Minted in 43-42 BC by Brutus and his allies after Caesar’s assassination in March 44 BC, the coin features Brutus’ profile on the obverse, encircled by a laurel wreath. The reverse showcases war symbols celebrating military victories. Baldacci pointed out that the laurel wreath represented Brutus’ desire to position himself as an emperor, serving as a propaganda tool.
One of only 17 known examples, this coin resurfaced in the 1950s in a private collector’s catalog and was later auctioned in Zurich in 2006, fetching 360,000 Swiss francs.
