2016-02-18 Thu

Hammered down at a price of $800,000 was what the cataloguer called the finest portrait Brutus gold aureus during the Classical Numismatic Group’s annual Triton auction that was head on January 5th and 6th.

According to the catalogue, it was struck in late summer-autumn 42 B.C.E. by the military mint travelling with Brutus and Cassius in western Asia Minor or northern Greece. P. Servilius Casca Longus was the moneyer.

It shows a bare head of Brutus right, wearing short beard; BRVTVS behind, IMP before; all within laurel wreath / A combined army and naval trophy, consisting of a cuirass, a crested helmet on the top, a curved sword and two crossed spears on the left arm, and an oval shield with incurved sides on the right, set on a post made from a tree trunk; at base, two prows, two shields, and a rudder. There are just 17 examples known of which eight are in museums.