Coin Sold For $4.2M—Among Most Expensive Ever—Came With Forged Certificates
In late 2020, an event held by the London-based auction house Roma Numismatics sold what would be one of the most expensive ancient coins at auction.
The artifact, known as the Eid Mar (Ides of March), was minted in 42 B.C.E in commemoration of the assassination of Julius Caesar. Its history heralded a US$650,445 presale estimate before it eventually hit a high of US$4.2 million.
Unfortunately, its grand story is taking a rather criminal twist as its provenance certificates are now being revealed for forgery, as reported by ARTnews. This is true for another coin sold simultaneously, which dates back to 2,400 B.C.E, known as the Sicily Naxos, and brought in US$291,682 in sales.
View this post on Instagram
The investigation was brought forward by the US Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), which discovered the false nature of both pieces and have currently arrested Richard Beale, the owner of Roma Numismatics, earlier this year in New York.
Along with Beale is Italo Vecchi, who joined the auction house during its early years. Vecchi had also reportedly brought in the Eid Mar and Sicily Naxos, but there is no proof of where he had acquired them.
The Sicily Naxos was confiscated at the John F. Kennedy Airport in New York this January, and the Eid Mar was brought in in February from an undisclosed location.
Beale and Vecchi sought to sell the pieces in 2015 at the New York International Numismatics Convention. Though it seemed that after they had told potential buyers that the coins came from “an old Swiss collection”—code for coins from a dubious origin—they sought out fake provenance for both.
ARTnews states that the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office will return both artifacts to their countries of origin.
[via ARTnews and Artnet News, image via Roma Numismatics]
