2,000 Year-Old Julius Caesar Gold Coin To Fetch Millions

Oct 14, 2020

The most famous and incredible rare Roman coin is expected to fetch a record-breaking sum when it is sold at auction in London later this month. After being hidden away in a private collection the golden coin has resurfaced and is just one of three in the world. The other two are known to exist one on display at the British Museum, and the other in the permanent collection of the Deutsche Bundesbank – the central bank of the Federal Republic of Germany.

“It was made in 42 B.C., two years after the famous assassination of Julius Caesar and is one of the most important and valuable coins of the ancient world. The bloody assassination had been prompted by the well-founded belief among the Senate that Caesar indented to make himself king, which in truth he was already in all but name.

On the front of the coin is the face of Brutus, who killed Caesar at the Theatre of Pompey in Rome in 44BC.

And the backside depicts two daggers flanking a pileup – a type of cap given to free Roman slaves.

It is believed that this was to signify Rome was free from Caesar, who was seen by some to be a cruel and power-hungry dictator.

This type of coin is known as 'Ides of March', which is how the Romans marked March 15. Caesar who was killed on the Ides of March, and this coin was created to commemorate the event just two years later. There are around 100 Ides of March coins made from silver around the world but just three examples of a golden Ides of March coin are known.

The coin is due to be auctioned in London by Roma Numismatics Limited on October 29, and could fetch millions.

"But considering the coin's rarity, artistry and fabled place in history, I would not be surprised if it sold for several million."

Widely anticipated to smash its conservative pre-sale estimate of £500,000, the coin is expected to sell for well over double or triple its estimate and it may well become the most expensive Roman gold coin ever sold with at least one independent expert (Barry Murphy of NGC) suggesting it could sell for “3-5 million”.

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