Description
Q Servilius Caepio Brutus (M. Junius Brutus, assassin of Caesar).
Silver Denarius, moving military mint in Asia Minor, c. 43-42 BC.
Obverse: COSTA – LEG, laureate head of Apollo facing right.
Reverse: IMP BRVTVS, military trophy holding pilae and scutum.
(Crawford 506/2).
Good Very Fine. Attractive iridescent toning. Scarce.
3.68g.
This silver denarius of Brutus, struck at a moving mint during the civil war which erupted following the murder of Caesar (in which Brutus wielded a knife), shows a distinct shift from the ideals of freedom and liberty promoted by many of his earlier coins. Notably military in nature, the obverse depicts Apollo, with an inscription noting the military Legate responsible for the coin’s production. The reverse focuses on a military trophy of mail armour, shield, spears and graves, and proclaims Brutus as Imperator. Various other designs were issued by Brutus and Cassius to pay their forces, but it would seem this issue was struck specifically to appeal to the soldiers.
