A rare Roman coin depicting Julius Caesar’s assassin, Brutus, sold for €1.9 million ($2 million) at a Geneva auction, far exceeding its €800,000 estimate.

Coin specialists Numismatica Genevensis SA sold the 1^st century B.C.E. gold aureus coin as part of a two-day series of auctions. Featuring the Roman politician and assassin of Julius Caesar, Marcus Junius Brutus, the coin has been called “one of the most iconic and historically significant coins in all of Roman history.” It was won by a European collector after intense bidding among eight online participants, according to the auction house.

The coin was minted following Brutus’s 44 B.C.E. murder of Roman statesman Julius Caesar. Brutus took part in an ambush to kill Caesar, prompted by fears around Caesar’s level of power after he announced himself dictator for life earlier that year. Brutus died by suicide following failure in battle in 42 B.C.E., against Roman consul Mark Antony and founder of the Roman Empire Octavian (Caesar’s relative and Rome’s leader after Caesar’s death).

The coin was minted before his death, dating the coin to around 2063 years ago. Very few gold coins featuring Brutus’s portrait were created for personal use by Rome’s most powerful classes, with just 17 examples known to survive today. Other surviving coins made bearing Brutus’s likeness feature the words “EID MAR,” referencing his assassination of Caesar on the Ides of March.

On the obverse of the coin is a portrait of Brutus in profile within a border of leaves, and on the reverse is a selection of military equipment—spears, a breastplate, helmet, and shield—within a circular border, worn away in one corner. Brutus’s legacy was tied to his military successes, explaining why this imagery would feature so prominently on his coins. He was notoriously generous to his soldiers, paying them huge sums in comparison to other leaders.

At auction, the starting price for the ancient gold coin was 750,000 Swiss Francs ($850,000). The current record holder for highest price achieved at auction for a single coin is held by an American 1933 Double Eagle coin which sold at Sotheby’s in New York for $18,872,250 on June 9, 2021, exceeding its estimated value by several million dollars. The record for the most expensive ancient coin belongs to a 2,000-year-old gold Greek coin previously in the collection of Russia’s State Hermitage Museum, which sold in 2023 for $6 million. With a global network of passionate collectors, it isn’t uncommon for rare coins to sell for more than $1 million.

Gold Aureus of Brutus (Reverse). Courtesy of Numismatica Genevensis SA.

The Brutus gold aureus coin was being sold as part of a trio of coin auctions that took place at the Swiss capital’s Beau-Rivage Hotel on December 9 and 10. The three auctions, titled “The World of Islam,” “The Royal Gold Set,” and “Masterpieces,” promise to cover “the entire spectrum of numismatics from antiquity to the present day and from all over the globe.”

Other highlights in the sales included the only known unique set of British five guinea coins from a private collection, a rare Islamic dinar coin from the Umayyad Period, and a wide-ranging collection of half-crowns. The aureus coin will be auctioned on December 9 as part of the “Masterpieces” sale, and is the star item of the two-day run.

Numismatica Genevensis was founded in Geneva in 1988. The company has since worked as consultants for museums, collectors, and institutions across the globe. Dr. Alain Baron, the founder of Numismatica Genevensis SA, told Artnet News: “This aureus of Brutus is one of the rarest and most significant of all ancient coinage and represents a moment that shaped the history of the Roman Empire. It will be the star of an auction that features masterpieces from across the globe and throughout numismatic history.”

This story was updated on December 11 at 4:14 a.m. ET.