The Eid Mar Coin, which was sold at auction in 2021 for $4.2 million and is the most expensive ancient coin in the world, has been repatriated to Greece. The coin was found to have been sold using fake provenance following an investigation by Homeland Security agents. The investigation also resulted in the return of 28 other ancient artifacts looted from Greece, in a handover ceremony organized by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office.
The Eid Mar coin was minted by Brutus to commemorate the murder of Julius Caesar on March 15, 44 B.C.E. Silver editions were used as currency, while gold editions were created as mementos for high-ranking officials, of which only three are known to remain. The circumstances surrounding how the coin was smuggled out of Greece, and the details of its sale, have not been disclosed.
Ivan J. Arvelo, the Special Agent in Charge for HSI in New York, said in a statement, “Antiquities trafficking is a multi-billion-dollar business with looters and smugglers turning a profit at the expense of cultural heritage, and Greece – long acknowledged as the cradle of Western Civilization – is especially susceptible to this type of criminal enterprise. These treasured artifacts date from as far back as 5000 B.C.E. and were a valued part of life in the ancient world. We are honored to join our partners today in the repatriation of this priceless cultural heritage to the people of Greece.”
The repatriation package also included other ancient artifacts, such as a funerary urn that once held the remains of a deceased individual in a chamber tomb. The “Neolithic family group,” a collection of five human and animal figures carved from marble from 5000-3500 B.C.E, was also returned to Greece. The group was on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, which had accepted it as a loan, until it was seized earlier this month.