A Brutus EID MAR silver denarius from 43 or 42 B.C. — “the obverse struck slightly off center and with minor weakness and light marks, otherwise, Extremely Fine” —  brought a closing price May 30 of 420,000 Swiss francs ($533,039 in U.S. dollars) in Leu Numismatik’s  double auction of ancient coins totaling 760 lots.

The two auctions brought combined closing prices of 3,716,546 Swiss francs ($4,685,077 in U.S. dollars).

Total price realized would to add various fees: the 22.5% buyer’s fee to the hammer price, plus postage, payment fee according to payment method, 1% insurance and 2% live bidding fee (for participation through biddr.com)

The most famous Roman coin type in existence, Brutus’ EID MAR issue relates to one of the crucial turning points in world history: the assassination  of Emperor Julius Caesar on the Ides of March. On March 14, 44 B.C., a group of more than 60 senators led by Marcus Iunius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus attacked the dictator during a Senate meeting and stabbed him to death. The murder of Rome’s most powerful man, so shortly after the conclusion of the civil war of 49 to 45 B.C., set in motion another series of devastating conflicts’ between Caesar’s proclaimed successors, Marc Antony and Octavian. Brutus fled Rome in the aftermath of Caesar’s assassination.

Brutus’ boldness resulted in his own portrait facing right being struck on the obverse, with the reverse design illustrating a cap and two daggers, indicative of his liberating the fatherland.

A gold aureus of Julius Caesar, 40 to 44 B.C., described in the lot narrative as having been struck on an exceptionally broad  and medallic flan,  with minor scuffs and faint scratches but otherwise Extremely Fine, yielded a closing price of 20,000 Swiss francs ($25,429 in U.S. dollars).

The aureus commemorates Caesar’s fifth consulship in 44 B.C. “The obverse records his fourth dictatorship, which he assumed in 45 B.C. and which, shortly thereafter, between 26 January and 15 February, was converted into the famous lifelong dictatorship,” according to the lot description. “Our aureus must therefore have been minted in January 44 and may have been issued for the celebrations accompanying his assumption of the consulship.”

A circa 350 B.C. gold stater of Lampsakos, Extremely Fine, was hammered for 46,000  Swiss francs ($58,487 U.S. dollars).

Its obverse illustrates the laureate and bearded head of Zeus to the left, a lotus-tipped scepter over his right should. The reverse illustrates the forepart of Pegasos to the right within a shallow incuse square.

Links for closing hammer prices on all 760 lots in the two auctions can be found online at leunumismatik.com/en/auction.