Loyalty Was Not the Coin of the Realm

This weekend's WSJ describes a fascinating piece of history: The Ides of March Denarius

The coin features two daggers and bears in Latin the date of Caesar's stabbing, "Eid Mar" or March 15, featuring on its flip side a profile of Brutus, honoring him as a lead conspirator in the assassination.
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The "Ides of March" coin was struck by Brutus around 42 B.C., created by his army in the field under rough conditions. Two daggers on one side symbolize the knives carried by Brutus and Cassius, assassins of Caesar, says William E. Metcalf, a Yale University classics professor. Historians have inferred that Caesar shocked Romans by putting himself on a coin—a spot normally reserved for a god or hero—and Brutus would have betrayed his own lofty ideals by doing the same, Mr. Metcalf says.

With only 65 known to still be in existence, possessing such pieces of history is, it seems, the domain of very rich history aficionados. Still, it's fascinating simply to know that these are out there.