Extremely rare auresus EID MAR sets new world record

A gold coin of Brutus from 42 AD, which celebrates the successful assassination of Julius Caesar and is only the third known of its kind, was auctioned for a record price at a London auction house on Thursday last week. In doing so, it beat most experts' estimates by almost eight times!

record EID MAR

The most expensive coin sold at auction was a Greek gold staters from Panticapaion, which was minted between 350 and 300 BC. It was sold in 2012 for $3.25 million, about 72.7 million crowns at today's exchange rate. This coin is famous for its very fine portrait of the Satyr; with its fine detail and expressiveness, it is ranked among the greatest masterpieces of engraving.

The previous record was set in 2008 by Hadrian's Sestertius, which sold for 2 million Swiss francs (just under 49 million crowns) in Geneva. Although it was made of brass alloy, this sestertius is truly rare - it was minted in Rome in 135, had a relief portrait of Hadrian on the obverse, and the reverse depicted the goddess Pax.

Sestertius Hadrian

The gold EID MAR, weighing 8.06 grams and measuring 19 millimetres in diameter, went to auction with an estimated purchase price of half a million pounds (about 15 million crowns). This was a relatively sober sum, considering that silver versions of the EID MAR - denarii, of which only 82 are known worldwide today - were sold for a similar price. It was expected that the estimate would be surpassed, but few people probably had any idea by how much...

Interest in the Brutus aureus was high - and no wonder: Only 3 similar coins are known in the entire world, and this one is in the best condition of them all. Moreover, with a documented "family tree" of a Swiss noble family dating back to the 17th century. The final price was a staggering $4,188,393, which translates to about 93,670,000 crowns! Nearly $700,000 (about 15.6 million crowns) of this was the commission of the auction company Roma Numismatics Limited.

"With the coin's storied history and excellent condition, we expected this EID MAR to far exceed the auction estimate and sell for over $1 million - and it did!" announced Mark Salzberg, Chairman of NGC Ancients, the company that certifies the authenticity of originals, after the auction. "NGC is honored to be part of the amazing story of this coin and the setting of a world record price." NGC has been there in the past when authenticating the aforementioned Hadrian's Sestricius world record.
"I am confident that MAR's impartial authentication and EID status helped achieve such a stunning result at auction," said Richard Beale, Managing Director of Roma Numismatics Limited. "The bidders were aware that they were competing for a true masterpiece."

The identity of the buyer of the EID MAR was not disclosed to the media.

Roman Nemec
Sources: coinworld.com, thehistoryblog.com, bbc.com, ngcoin.com