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Lot 2418
Brutus, d. 42 BC. AR Denarius (3.59 g) struck at a mint moving with Brutus, 43-42 BC. Bare head right of Brutus. Reverse: Pileus between two daggers; below, EID• MAR. Cr. 508/3; Syd. 1301; BMC 68. A few scrapes and a bit porous. Superb portrait; Extremely Fine.
Nominated as the preeminent coin of One Hundred Greatest Ancient Coins by Harlan Berk, this denarius commemorates the assassination of Julius Caesar on the Ides of March (15 March), 44 BC.
How amazing that such a blatant numismatic memorial should have been issued! It marks the final chapter of the Roman Republic, as the dictatorial power of the emperors would soon come fully into being. While, on a variety of his coins, the portrait of the living and ruling dictator Julius Caesar incensed a great number of the populace, here we have the same egotism shown by Brutus, as Imperator, Caesar's prime assassin.
We have an active symbolism pictured on the reverse of this coin: the bloodied daggers wielded by Brutus and his cohorts in a futile effort to regain Roman liberty (pileus, or liberty cap).
Today, there are about 100 known specimens of this very rare coin, commanding steep prices. Their value has steadily increased, as befits their historical importance. There are quite a few fourrées (copper-core forgeries of the time) of this particular issue, with many of the finest examples having been test marked by bankers of the period, showing porosity or weakly struck areas and demonstrating other faults. Most of these have brought six-figure prices, with one selling over the quarter of a million mark. The present coin, while having a few marks and a bit of porosity, is a top-notch example which possesses a particularly fine portrait of Brutus and a rremarkably bold reverse.
Estimated Value $75,000-UP.
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| Realized $143,750 |
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