68
3087
Brutus. Silver Denarius (3.82 g), 42
BC.
Military mint traveling with Bru-
tus and Cassius in western Asia Minor
or northern Greece. P. Servilius Casca
Longus, moneyer. CASCA behind,
LONGVS before, Laureate and bearded
head of Neptune right; trident below.
Reverse:
BRVTVS behind, IMP before,
Victory advancing right, breaking dia-
dem tied with fillet and holding palm;
below, broken scepter. Crawford 507/2;
HCRI 212; Sydenham 1298; RSC 3.
Boldly struck and well centered. Needle
sharp in detail, lustrous and delicately
toned.
Superb Extremely Fine.
On this splendid coin the image of
Victory trampling upon a broken
scepter and tearing the diadem pow-
erfully evoke the long tradition of Ro-
man hatred for monarchical rule. It
was rumored that Julius Caesar had
inclined to become king, purport-
edly wearing red boots as the Ro-
man kings had worn and having his
statue placed next to those of the
kings, and these were all used by the
tyrannicides to justify his assassina-
tion. The obverse type of Neptune was
an obvious choice for Casca, who
was the commander of Brutus’ fleet.
Estimated Value ........$10,000 - 12,000
Ex Helios 2 (25-26 November 2008),
221.
