GOLD IDES OF MARCH COIN REALISES $4M

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V23 2020 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 23, Number 44, November 1, 2020, Article 22

GOLD IDES OF MARCH COIN REALISES $4M

The gold "Ides of March" coin sold this week for over four million dollars and generated news coverage around the world. Dave Sundman was the first to share the news with this article from The Sunday Times. -Editor

A gold coin issued by Brutus and described as a “naked and shameless” celebration of the assassination of Julius Caesar has sold for £3.2 million, a record for an ancient coin.

The gold aureus, which depicts the daggers of Marcus Junius Brutus and his fellow assassin Cassius, with the inscription EID MAR — for the ides of March, the date of the murder — is one of only three of its kind known. The others are on long-term loan to the British Museum and in the collection of the German Federal Bank.

It was struck in the summer or autumn of 42BC by a military mint travelling with the forces of Brutus and Cassius shortly before their defeat by Mark Antony and Octavian at the Battle of Philippi in Macedonia.

The coin had a presale estimate of £500,000 but sold for £2.7 million, with a buyer's premium of 20 per cent added after.

To read the complete article (subscription required), see:
Julius Caesar assassination coin sells for record amount (https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/julius-caesar-assassination-coin-sells-for-record-2-7m-806868rt9)

Kavan Ratnatunga watched the auction live, and provided the above screenshot of the end result. Thanks! Thanks also to Dick Hanscom and others for links to other coverage of the event. Note that prices shown vary based on rounding and whether the quote is in dollars or pounds, or includes or excludes buyer's fee. The name of the winning bidder has not yet been revealed. -Editor

To read other articles, see:
BCE Caesar Assassination Coin Sold at Auction for $ 3.5 Million (https://pledgetimes.com/bce-caesar-assassination-coin-sold-at-auction-for-3-5-million/)
Roman gold coin commemorating the assassination of Julius Caesar 2,000 years ago sells for a record £3.24 MILLION at auction (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-8896741/Antiques-Roman-gold-coin-commemorating-assassination-Caesar-sells-record-3-24-MILLION.html)
Roman coin authenticated in Sarasota area sets world record at auction (https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/2020/10/30/roman-coin-authenticated-sarasota-area-sets-world-record-auction/6083534002/)

Note that in 2020, the gold EID MAR displayed at the British Museum was thought to be unique. Here are links to some earlier E-Sylum articles. -Editor

To read earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
BRITISH MUSEUM DISPLAYS UNIQUE GOLD EID MAR COIN (https://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v13n12a24.html)
GOLD IDES OF MARCH COIN OFFERED (https://www.coinbooks.org/v23/esylum_v23n41a25.html)
DAVID VAGI GOLD IDES OF MARCH COIN INTERVIEW (https://www.coinbooks.org/v23/esylum_v23n42a28.html)

Wayne Homren, Editor

The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org.

To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com

To subscribe go to: https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum

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