Overview

• The coin, known as an aureus, was auctioned in Geneva for €1.98 million after intense bidding among eight online participants.
• Minted by Marcus Brutus after the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BCE, the coin was likely used for military propaganda and to fund his armies.
• The obverse features Brutus's profile surrounded by a laurel wreath, symbolizing his claim to leadership, while the reverse highlights his military victories with war symbols.
• Only 17 examples of this coin are known to exist, making it an exceptionally rare artifact from the final years of the Roman Republic.
• The coin resurfaced in the 1950s and was last sold at auction in 2006 for 360,000 Swiss francs, with its value quintupling over the past two decades.