A contemporary counterfeit, a fourrée (plated copy), of one of the most famous ancient coins of all time has sold at auction.

The silver-plated copper fourrée realized £9,600 ($12,211 U.S.), including the 20% buyer’s fee, in Baldwin’s May 29 auction in London, against a presale estimate of £12,000 ($15,265 U.S.).

The coin is famous because of its design which directly relates to the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 B.C.

Legitimate examples of the denarius were struck by Brutus in late summer to autumn, in 44 B.C., by a mobile mint moving with the ruler in northern Greece.

Fourrées of the EID MAR type offer a much more affordable option for a collector desiring the design, still with an ancient pedigree but without the price in the tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars that official examples command.

The auction house highlighted four other instances of fourrées selling since 2015, and according to Classical Numismatic Group (which offered one in 2020 and 2023), 16 examples of the EID MAR fourrée are reportedly known.

Condition is sensitive

The example in this auction exhibits “some breaks to the silver plating, but [is] attractive and stable,” the auction firm said, noting it had “a couple of scratches, [but is] otherwise Good Very Fine.”

“The overall quality of production is high, with a thick layer of silver plating,” the firm said. “This has broken at the highest points of the piece, revealing the copper-alloy core beneath. This metal is stable and not unattractive.”

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