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Acquired my centerpiece
SmEagle1795
Posts: 2,136 ✭✭✭✭✭
Based on the various completion/white whale acquisition posts in the last few weeks, it appears that this summer has been very numismatically successful for the members here. It's been equally fruitful for my collection - apologies for the darkside post but this coin has an early US tie-in.
In school, we all learned about Brutus’ assassination of Julius Caesar. For me, it was a compelling story, further enhanced by the reading of Shakespeare’s play which told of the events of the Ides of March. However, my deeper fascination with it came when I began collecting ancient coins, learning that, fortunately for historians and collectors alike, Brutus minted a coin commemorating this turning point in Western history.
It was given a #1 ranking by a consortium of collectors and dealers in the “100 Greatest Ancient Coins” book published by Harlan Berk. The trouble with this type is that it’s very hard to find in good condition and regardless of the condition, its popularity drives up the price.
I am extremely fortunate to have been able to acquire a solid-silver example of this historic type. It’s graded nearly EF and considerably better in hand and in my photos than the auction house’s poorly lit images showed. Around 80 examples are known, 30 of which reside in museums, with many of the remaining coins available to private collectors are in extremely poor condition or corroded due to the impure silver in which they were struck in Brutus’ moving mint.
The obverse bears a portrait of Brutus, the most famous of all assassins. The imagery on the reverse of the coin proclaims that the tyrant Julius Caesar is dead and includes the date of the assassination (EIDibus MARtiis, the Ides of March, the 15th of March, 44 BC). The daggers represent Brutus and Cassius, the two leaders of the uprising against Caesar. The daggers surround a liberty cap as a reminder that Caesar was killed in the name of liberty, freeing the Roman people.
This liberty cap featured on early US coinage comes from the same symbolism. Joseph Wright drew inspiration from the Libertas Americana medal, which also showed a liberty cap (pileus) as on the reverse of this coin. Wright used a Phrygian cap worn in ancient times by newly freed slaves to signify their freedom. This was an important message on US coinage, especially after the public concern over the chain cent, and further reinforced the freedom given to the citizens of the newly founded country.
I still have a number of coins on my wantlist but this has been by far my most sought after type after learning about it when I first started collecting. It is certainly an amazing feeling to finally have acquired it!
In school, we all learned about Brutus’ assassination of Julius Caesar. For me, it was a compelling story, further enhanced by the reading of Shakespeare’s play which told of the events of the Ides of March. However, my deeper fascination with it came when I began collecting ancient coins, learning that, fortunately for historians and collectors alike, Brutus minted a coin commemorating this turning point in Western history.
It was given a #1 ranking by a consortium of collectors and dealers in the “100 Greatest Ancient Coins” book published by Harlan Berk. The trouble with this type is that it’s very hard to find in good condition and regardless of the condition, its popularity drives up the price.
I am extremely fortunate to have been able to acquire a solid-silver example of this historic type. It’s graded nearly EF and considerably better in hand and in my photos than the auction house’s poorly lit images showed. Around 80 examples are known, 30 of which reside in museums, with many of the remaining coins available to private collectors are in extremely poor condition or corroded due to the impure silver in which they were struck in Brutus’ moving mint.
The obverse bears a portrait of Brutus, the most famous of all assassins. The imagery on the reverse of the coin proclaims that the tyrant Julius Caesar is dead and includes the date of the assassination (EIDibus MARtiis, the Ides of March, the 15th of March, 44 BC). The daggers represent Brutus and Cassius, the two leaders of the uprising against Caesar. The daggers surround a liberty cap as a reminder that Caesar was killed in the name of liberty, freeing the Roman people.
This liberty cap featured on early US coinage comes from the same symbolism. Joseph Wright drew inspiration from the Libertas Americana medal, which also showed a liberty cap (pileus) as on the reverse of this coin. Wright used a Phrygian cap worn in ancient times by newly freed slaves to signify their freedom. This was an important message on US coinage, especially after the public concern over the chain cent, and further reinforced the freedom given to the citizens of the newly founded country.
I still have a number of coins on my wantlist but this has been by far my most sought after type after learning about it when I first started collecting. It is certainly an amazing feeling to finally have acquired it!
Learn about our world's shared history told through the first millennium of coinage: Colosseo Collection
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Comments
With this coin out of the way, what is the next project?
Congrats!
merse
a fun learning experience.
bob
Michael Kittle Rare Coins --- 1908-S Indian Head Cent Grading Set --- No. 1 1909 Mint Set --- Kittlecoins on Facebook --- Long Beach Table 448
A tip of the laurel wreath to you, fine sir!
This kind of thing is what numismatics should be about.
U.S. Type Set
Hoard the keys.
Latin American Collection
Congrats on finding such a nice example. They certainly are tough to find in decent condition. When I gave a lecture on this coin to a Roman history class at Colorado College I would have given anything to have an example to pass around.
Simply awesome!
See http://www.doubledimes.com for a free online reference for US twenty-cent pieces
Best Regards,
George
Coin's for sale/trade.
Tom Pilitowski
US Rare Coin Investments
800-624-1870
Eric
Congrats! That's what this hobby is all about.
LM-ANA3242-CSNS308-MSNS226-ICTA
Coinfame,Kaelasdad,Type2,UNLVino,MICHAELDIXON
Justacommeman,tydye,78saen,123cents,blue62vette,Segoja,Nibanny
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars
If I ever got into ancient coinage, pieces like this would be sort of things I'd like to find, but right now I'm branching into British coinage.
PCGS Registries
Box of 20
SeaEagleCoins: 11/14/54-4/5/12. Miss you Larry!
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
Best,
Sunnywood
Sunnywood's Rainbow-Toned Morgans (Retired)
Sunnywood's Barber Quarters (Retired)
Congrats on a beautiful acquisition and a solid investment. This is a coin most anyone would want to own.
Dead Cat Waltz Exonumia
"Coin collecting for outcasts..."
RMR: 'Wer, wenn ich schriee, hörte mich denn aus der Engel Ordnungen?'
CJ: 'No one!' [Ain't no angels in the coin biz]
mbogoman
https://pcgs.com/setregistry/collectors-showcase/classic-issues-colonials-through-1964/zambezi-collection-trade-dollars/7345Asesabi Lutho
(I'll be replying in more detail to the specific questions a bit later this evening - thanks again!)
<< <i>Great looking coin and neat history lesson surrounding it.
With this coin out of the way, what is the next project? >>
Thanks! This coin for me completes the "big three" for Ancient Rome, along with the Colosseum sestertius and the Port of Ostia sestertius. (Images below). I can now relax a bit, with these "behind" me - I've been worried I'd be priced out of them as they've been increasing so much in the last decade, so I'm grateful that the cards all fell as they did.
I'm working on acquiring adjacent coins related to the story behind the Ides of March. I have a denarius of Julius Caesar which I posted here on the darkside and have just acquired a coin of Brutus' co-conspirator Cassius Longinus. There are a handful of other contemporary coins which I'll be adding as well to tell the complete story.
Then, I'll be working to finish the "Twelve Caesars" while expanding my Greek collection. While I have nearly the same number of coins representing Rome vs Greece, my Roman collection is far more historically comprehensive, and Greece has an extensive history which I'd like to depict numismatically.
My end goal is to be able to tell the major events of Greece/Rome in the first thousand years of coinage (ca 700 BC - 300 AD, a point at which the coins begin to decline aesthetically). While sets of ancient coins aren't quite as cut and dry as that of US coins, it's still very viable to complete a group depending on what parameters you like. There are many big-ticket coins that I have no interest in but I can work around needing to acquire them by using contemporary issues.
Here's the Port of Ostia sestertius (with a writeup here: Port of Ostia)
and my Colosseum sestertius (which I need to post in a separate thread). Next to the Eid Mar, this is my most exciting coin, being minted to commemorate the inaugural games held at the Colosseum in 80 AD and handed out by the emperor Titus to the first spectators:
<< <i>Your images and write-up are enough to make me want one...and I've never before had an interest in Ancient coins. >>
Come over to the dark side, we're friendly, I swear
In all seriousness, I initially assumed I wouldn't like ancient coinage because I had never been particularly intrigued by most of the history. However, I've found that it's mostly the way in which ancient history is told which drives people away. I'm hoping to improve this with more engaging text which hits on the high points, including enough "meat" to be informative but not so thick as to be boring. In writing up my Julius Caesar denarius, I read a few 500+ page books which nearly put me to sleep.
<< <i>Way to go!!! That is my favorite coin ... US, world, or whatever. I liked the coin so much, I convinced Ron Landis at the Gallery Mint Museum to create a replica. Great coin from a most interesting time in history.
Congrats on finding such a nice example. They certainly are tough to find in decent condition. When I gave a lecture on this coin to a Roman history class at Colorado College I would have given anything to have an example to pass around.
Simply awesome! >>
Thanks! That sounds like it would have been a great lecture to attend. Have you given any other numismatically-themed lectures? There are certainly a plethora of coins from interesting historical events which could make up a curriculum by themselves.
<< <i>Very cool! How many varieties are there? It seems many have different character fonts - I am seeing at least 3 or 4? >>
Thanks! Yes, there are a a handful of varieties, with eight obverse dies known. They were struck at a moving military mint and overall, it was a rather small mintage. However, its rarity is greater now because after Brutus was killed by Octavian, he and Mark Antony recalled and melted down the Eid Mar coinage as they didn't want anti-Imperial messaging to continue to spread.
Luckily a handful of coins slipped through the cracks, some of which were found in a small group, likely buried by the traveling mint itself (although all of those examples are quite corroded). My particular coin shares an obverse die with a few other examples, being identified by some scholars as the most aesthetic depiction of Brutus, and my reverse die is shared with just one low-grade example which resides in a European museum.
Wow, and ElD MAR coin, congrats, that is a vary rare coin, one of the most famous if not the most famous Roman coin!!. I had only seen one in person at the Boston Museum Of Fine Arts.
What an amazing Find!!!!!!!!!
Brutus celebrating Cesar’s death
What a great and rare coin!
Fantastic !
Great coin. Congrats.
I missed this 4 years ago, belated Congrats, SmEagle,
By the way, how's the 12 Caesars collection coming along? Or are you finished?
Cool coin indeed!
My YouTube Channel
I suggest those of you curious about SmEagle's collection venture over to the dark side forum. He's been generous in sharing with us some of his amazing acquisitions, always with a nice write-up to go along with picture(s).
Wow- really cool and really rare. I remember someone giving a presentation to our coin club and talking about that coin.