An extremely rare Roman coin bearing the image of Brutus, Julius Caesar's most famous assassin, was sold on Monday at an auction in Geneva for 1.98 million euros, announced Numismática Genevensis, responsible for the sale.
The gold piece was sold for more than 1.83 million Swiss francs, or 1.98 million euros, including the sales commission, "to a European collector", the company said in a statement.
The asking price was over 800,000 euros.
The sale gave rise to "an intense battle between eight online bidders", the auction house detailed.
This gold coin, the Roman gold coin, is "a piece of history" linked to the last chapters of the Roman Republic, Frank Baldacci, director of Numismatica Genevensis, explained to France-Presse (AFP).
The coin - weighing 8 grams and similar in size to a euro - was minted in 43-42 BC by "Brutus and his friends who murdered Julius Caesar" in March 44 BC, it detailed.
This particular golden one features on the front the profile of Brutus' head surrounded by laurel leaves and on the back it celebrates his recent military victories with warrior symbols. It is one of 17 known examples, according to the auction house.
This coin, "minted not in Rome but in a workshop that traveled with Brutus and his armies as he tried to grant himself power after having murdered Julius Caesar", also had a "propaganda value", according to M. Baldacci.
The laurel wreath is indeed the sign of "someone who wants to promote himself as emperor" who wants to be "caliph in place of the caliph", observed the expert, highlighting the inscription "IMP" - for Imperator, leader of the armies, a title that would come to be hereditary under the Empire.
The coin was minted shortly before the famous battle of Philippi, which Brutus lost to Mark Antony and Octavius (and after which he "killed himself", Baldacci explained.
The golden one traveled through the centuries, passing from hand to hand and unnoticed.
The piece only resurfaced in the 1950s, when it was published in a private collector's catalog. It later reappeared at an auction in 2006 in Zurich, where it was sold to another private collector for 360,000 Swiss francs (390,000 euros).
The coin is kept in an airtight box to prevent any alteration and to "guarantee its authenticity", said Baldacci, explaining that certification by specialized companies is carried out in particular through comparison with other ancient coins, as well as by examining the gold used.
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