Roman Empire AD 69-70 AUREUS JULIUS CIVILUS CIVIL WAR NGC Ch XF 5 2

Roman Civil War Aureus

The Legend of C. Julius Civilis

One man and his legions nearly changed the course of history…

Only 5 Known to Exist

In October 2020 the finest known Brutus “Eid Mar” Gold Aureus commemorating the assassination of Julius Caesar fetched $4.2 Million at auction setting a record for a Roman coin. The current record for a rare coin was set recently with the sale of the 1933 $20 St. Gaudens capturing $19 million in June 2021. Today’s collectibles markets boast countless examples of video games, comic books, trading cards, digital art, and others fetching $1 million, $2 million, $3 million, even more. These are all interesting and worthy of note, but the current Civil War Roman Aureus is by far more intriguing and more historically important, a true work of art of the ancient western empire that molded the world as we know it.

The legendary Rembrandt painting below depicts the image of an oath to Caius Julius Civilis. The fact that Rembrandt chose to tell the story of Civilus some 15 centuries later tells us the importance of the man. Rembrandt’s paintings are worth tens of millions of dollars, so for this event to even be included in Rembrandt’s repertoire is truly extraordinary.

So, what’s it worth to buy one of five known examples of a Civil War Roman Gold Aureus?

That answer from our perspective is easy. We believe an argument can be made for this specimen to be as important as any coin of the ancient world. It is one of those value plays that only comes along once in a long while.

While its own rarity has kept it secret, we believe with the expanding global market of ancient coins this secret is an opportunity worthy of attention. These wonderful rarities were created during tumultuous time for the Roman Empire.

The entire empire was at the brink of collapse and being torn apart by power struggles that led to four different emperors in a single year.

The story begins with the fall of Nero the year prior. After learning he was condemned to death in absentia, he committed suicide. Galba was then exalted as Emperor.

And so, begins the “Year of the Four Emperors” and the Civil War of 69 AD. Galba began the year as Emperor of Rome, but he would be far from the last.

The turmoil and strife that would ensue nearly brought Rome to its knees, with the rise of Caius Julius Civilis as one of the most powerful men opposing the empire. Galba would be murdered in the streets, along with his proposed successor, Lucius Calpurnius Piso Licinianus. Otho, believing the right to the throne to be his, bribed the Praetorian guard to his side and became Emperor. Vitellius sided with the Batavi, C. Julius Civilis’ clan, to defeat Otho.

This news led to Otho’s suicide. With Vitellius’ rise came a power struggle over the way he was honoring his agreement to the Batavi. Ultimately, Otho’s suicide would come in vain as C. Julius Civilis garnered even more power and marched his legions onto Rome. Vitellius would ultimately be murdered after bringing the empire to near bankruptcy, leading to the rise of Vespasian – who ran unopposed…well, except for C. Julius Civilis. While C. Julius Civilis feigned allegiance to Vespasian, he turned his auxiliary legions against the Roman Empire. Along with Julius Classicus and Julius Tutor, Civilis embarked on his rebellion to seek independence from Rome amid the chaos of the death of the Four Emperors. Civilis led his armies to victory against two legions of Roman soldiers.

Civilis wound up having 6,000 men under his wing after defectors crossed over. He went onto another victory in Germania Inferior. Vespasian sent eight legions of men to stop Julius Civilis. It was only at this point Civilis was able to engage in peace talks with the Romans, realizing his ranks were outnumbered, they agreed to meet at the center of a bridge over the Nablia River. The outcome of those talks and the fate of C. Julius Civilis then goes lost to history.

Was he murdered? Did he sign an agreement to go into exile to not oppose Vespasian’s reign?

These details are not certain, but what we do know is just how important this event and this coin are to history. If he had succeeded, our history books would be forever altered. On the obverse is a depiction of Salus, personifying safety and security. The reverse depicts Concordia, personifying harmony. Civilis sought to achieve for all Romans the safety, security, and harmony of which he dreamed.

The coin was likely struck in an act of self-preservation. Not wanting to be the Tyrant he believed other Roman Emperors to be, his face was not placed on the coin. Rather, it was idealistically struck as a beacon of safety and stability. The very essence of idealism is desire. A dream, for when it comes to dreams… “Courage is the peculiar excellence of man, and the Gods help the braver side.” – Caius Julius Civilis.

We believe this offering to be one of the best opportunities seen in recent times. The magnitude cannot be overstated. With auction results of coins of lesser importance in recent years selling for multi-millions of dollars, we are excited to offer this amazing piece of Roman history.