Auctioned for 4.5 Billion Won, 'Caesar Assassination Commemorative Coin' Returned to Greece

Seized Smuggled Items Total 29, Worth 26 Billion Won Included
New York City "Artifacts Seized in Smuggling Investigation"

The city of New York in the United States has returned 29 looted ancient Greek artifacts to Greece. Among them was a gold coin minted at the time of the assassination of Julius Caesar, the absolute ruler of the Roman era. This gold coin is known to have an auction price of 455 million won.

The Manhattan District Attorney's Office in New York announced on the 22nd (local time) through the media and its website that it had returned 29 looted ancient Greek artifacts, including the gold coin issued to commemorate the assassination of Julius Caesar in 42 BC.

According to Alvin Bragg, Manhattan District Attorney, all the returned artifacts were seized during investigations related to smuggling. The total value of these artifacts is estimated to be over 20 million dollars (about 26 billion won).

Among them, the gold coin commemorating Caesar's assassination attracted great attention when it was sold at auction in 2020 for 3.5 million dollars (about 455 million won), the highest price ever for a coin.

One of the assassination leaders at the time, Marcus Junius Brutus, minted gold and silver coins after assassinating Caesar to widely publicize the cause of the assassination. This coin, believed to have been looted near Brutus's base, is one of the three surviving gold coins commemorating Caesar's assassination.

Gold Coin Commemorating Caesar's Assassination Returned to Greece
Photo by Manhattan District Attorney's Office, New York, USA

The front of the gold coin features a man's profile, which experts believe to be Brutus. The Latin inscriptions on the front, ‘BRVT IMP’ and ‘L PLAET CEST,’ are abbreviations of Brutus's commander and his accountant's names, while ‘EID MAR’ inscribed on the back alongside a dagger is analyzed to signify March 15, the date Caesar was assassinated.

The gold coin was sold for 3.5 million dollars to an anonymous American bidder through a Roman coin auction house in London, England, but the origin of the coin was not identified at the time. However, it was later revealed that the item had been smuggled from Germany to London, leading to the arrest of the British dealer who arranged the sale and the seizure of the coin by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.

The media reported that “the London Roman coin auction house and the Department of Homeland Security refused to answer questions about this coin, stating that the matter is currently under investigation.”