One of the rarest and most valuable ancient coins in the world was repatriated to Greece this week, along with other artifacts. Together, the returned relics are estimated at over $20 million.
The so-called “Eid Mar” (or “Ides of March”) coin was minted in 42 BCE to commemorate the assassination of Julius Caesar and features an engraved portrait of Marcus Junius Brutus, the Roman senator who helped plot the murder. The coin is only one of three remaining examples cast in gold known to exist today.
Experts believe it was discovered and then illegally exported from Greece more than a decade ago, according to the New York Times.
In an October 2020 sale organized by London-based auction house Roma Numismatics, the coin sold for almost $4.2 million– a record still unequaled for an old currency. But an investigation by the US agency Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) later discovered that the token was offered with falsified provenance documents.
Richard Beale, owner and managing director of Roma Numismatics, was arrested in January and now faces charges of grand theft, criminal possession of stolen property and conspiracy for his role in orchestrating the scheme. The head of the auction house has since been released on his own recognizance.
The unidentified American billionaire who purchased the coin at the 2020 event turned it over to investigators in February, according to a announcement from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
The piece was one of 29 relics handed over to Greek authorities in a repatriation ceremony held at the Greek consulate this week. Other items returned included a Bronze Calix Krater, or two-handled vessel, which dates to 350 BCE, and a “Neolithic family group” of carved marble figurines, which date to 5000-3500 BCE. .
The items were seized by officials this year from the collection of Shelby White, a prominent philanthropist and board member of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and her late husband Leon Levy.
“Antiquities trafficking is a multi-billion dollar business, with looters and smugglers making profits at the expense of cultural heritage, and Greece, long recognized as the cradle of Western civilization, is particularly susceptible to this type of criminal enterprise,” Ivan Arvelo, an HSI special agent in charge, said in a statement. “These precious artifacts date as far back as 5000 BCE and were a valuable part of life in the ancient world.”
“We are honored to join our partners today in repatriating this invaluable cultural heritage to the Greek people,” Arvelo added.
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