A possibly unique gold coin celebrating the assassination of Julius Caesar will go on display at the British Museum today – the Ides of March, marking the 2,054th anniversary of his death.

The coin was struck in honour of Marcus Junius Brutus, one of the assassins of Julius Caesar. The reverse shows the cap of liberty given to freed slaves flanked by two daggers. This indicates Brutus’ intention of freeing Rome from Caesar’s imperial ambitions and the murder weapons employed to do so. Below the daggers is the day of the deed; EID.MAR, the ides of March.

Few coins capture a moment in history with such stark and brutal imagery. Brutus had carried out the attack with some fellow Roman Senators in 44 BC when Caesar had come unarmed to address the Senate on 15 March. This day was known to the Romans as the ides, or the middle day of the month and was recognised on a new calendar system that Caesar himself had established just two years before.

The assassins, or ‘freedom party’ as they regarded themselves, fled Rome to Macedonia to raise an army. However, they were defeated by Caesar’s allies led by Mark Antony and Octavian at the Battle of Philippi (42 BC). Brutus subsequently committed suicide.

The decision to flee east was probably influenced by the richness of the provinces of the eastern Roman Empire – raising an army was a very costly business. Supplies needed to be bought and soldiers needed wages. Amongst the coins the conspirators briefly struck to this end was this one.

Although numerous surviving examples of the silver version are known, including several in the British Museum’s coins and medals collection, there were only believed to be two in gold.

Curiously, King George III (reigned 1760-1820) owned one of the two gold examples as part of his large chronological sequence of coins and medals followed a system common among eighteenth-century collectors to arrange their ancient Roman coin collections. Experts now believe that this coin is a fake.

The present example on display was offered for sale to the British Museum in 1932 but they couldn’t afford to buy it. Sold privately to a number of collectors , its present owner (anonymous) has loaned the coin to the museum, and it will be displayed publicly for the first time.

The Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) of World War II were honored with the Congressional Gold Medal during a ceremony today in Emancipation Hall at the Capitol Visitor Center.  Both surviving members of the WASP, as well as representatives of deceased members of the organization, participated in the ceremony.  The medal, presented by the Congressional leadership, honors WASP members for their pioneering military service that led to reform in the U.S. Armed Forces.

The WASPs served between 1942 and 1944, ferrying aircraft between U.S. bases, testing fighter planes and towing targets for the men to practice shooting at with live ammunition. They flew more than 60,000,000 miles in every type of aircraft flown by the Army Air Corps, including the B-26 bomber – also known as the “widow maker” – and the B-29 Superfortress. Thirty-eight of them died while serving their country.

Despite their service, the women had to pay their own way to Sweetwater, Texas, for training at Avenger Field. They set up collections to help bury fallen female pilots, who – because they were considered civilians – were not given military honors. And, as the war was ending, they were forced to pay their own bus fare home. When the program was disbanded in 1944, the women’s records were classified and sealed, denying them recognition for their service.

The 1,074 WASPs were never granted military rank, never flew in combat and were denied veterans benefits until 1977. Only 300 of these female pilots survive today.

The obverse (heads side) of the WASP Congressional Gold Medal was designed by United States Mint Artistic Infusion Program Master Designer Joel Iskowitz and sculpted by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Phebe Hemphill.  The design depicts the portrait of a WASP with three others in the foreground in period uniforms with an airborne AT-6 in the background.  Inscriptions on the obverse are WOMEN AIRFORCE SERVICE PILOTS and 1942-1944.

The medal’s reverse (tails side) was designed and sculpted by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Don Everhart.  The design features the three aircraft that the WASPs flew during their training: the AT-6, B-26 and P-51.  The WASP wings are depicted at the base of the design.  Inscriptions on the reverse are THE FIRST WOMEN IN HISTORY TO FLY AMERICAN MILITARY AIRCRAFT, ACT OF CONGRESS and 2009.

By Greg Reynolds

I. Who is Mr. Kris Oyster?

For around thirty-five years, Mr. Kris Oyster has been a coin dealer and he is currently well known on the nationwide show circuit. As the managing director of numismatics for DGSE, Oyster rose to fame when DGSE acquired Superior Galleries in 2007, as Superior has been a fixture in the coin business for many decades. Now, for the first time, he has agreed to be interviewed for a nationwide audience.

Greg Reynolds: Are you Managing Director of Numismatics for both DGSE and Superior Galleries? What does this job entail?

Kris Oyster: Yes, for both, and, as managing director, I am responsible for all aspects of the numismatic division of DGSE Companies nationwide .

GR: How long has DGSE been in business?

KO: DGSE has been a big name in rare coins since the firm was [organized] in 1977. I have been a coin dealer since the mid 1970’s. I became involved with DGSE in 1997. DGSE is a publicly traded company.

GR: Is DGSE well known to people in Texas?

KO: Dallas Gold and Silver is a household name in the Southwest. DGSE began in a local mall and has expanded into a hundred million dollar business. We are a major wholesaler and retailers of fine jewelry and diamonds as well as sports memorabilia,bullion products, rare coins and currency. Our revenue in 2008 was in excess of $105 million dollars. Rare coins and currency accounted for $17 million dollars of these sales in 2008. We are at almost all major coin shows as well as most regional venues. We have showrooms in Dallas and Euless, Texas, also near Charleston, South Carolina, and of course our Superior Galleries and Superior Gold and Diamond operations in Woodland Hills [in Los Angeles County]. My office is at the headquarters in Dallas. Gary Shepherd is our coin man in Euless and Brian Cohn handles our Charleston area operation.

GR: Do you serve collectors at all locations?

Yes, we even have a large cent expert on staff, Mike McKee. When I met Mike, he was 12 years old. He come into the DGSE headquarters store with his dad to buy [better-date] Lincoln pennies for his collection. We even buy and sell ancient coins. Ronnie Deschane is our on-hand consultant for ancients. Our coin expert in Euless, Gary Shepard, specializes in circulated U.S. coins that thousands of collectors want to buy, like Indian cents, Shield nickels, Barber coins, Morgan dollars, Liberty Seated series, and Extremely Fine to MS-63 19th century gold coins. We do a large business in not so expensive collector coins. We sell a big mix of collector coins, from colonial times to 2009 Proof sets. When I say that all collectors are welcome, I really mean it.

GR: What are your specialties?

KO: U.S. gold coins, U.S. paper money, and Morgan dollars. (more…)