Ancient Coin Celebrating Murder of Julius Caesar May Sell for $2 Million
The 2,000-year old artifact was minted by Brutus, naturally.
Two daggers on the back of the ‘Eid Mar’ gold coin represent the killing of Julius Caesar.
Source: Numismatica Ars Classica
An ancient Roman coin commemorating the assassination of Julius Caesar could sell for more than $2 million when it hits the auction block in May, according to Numismatica Ars Classica, the rare-coin auction house conducting the sale.
The gold piece, slightly smaller than a U.S. quarter, is more than two thousand years old. “It's priceless, but it still has a price tag,” said Arturo Russo, managing director of Numismatica Ars Classica. “To have a coin that commemorates such a well known event, such a famous event, an event that has changed completely the course of history is quite extraordinary.”
This gold coin, the “Eid Mar” (or “the Ides of March”), is said by the auction house to have been minted by Caesar’s betrayer Brutus, who is depicted on the front of the artifact. Rome’s freedom from Caesar’s tyranny is represented by the “cap of liberty” in-between the daggers. (The cap was traditionally given to emancipated slaves.)