The June 4, 2000, Dr. Jon Kardatzke Collection Parts II & III, Sale 5

Russia

Alexander I (1801-1825)

Lot 5575
RUSSIA. Poltina, 1819. PS. Sev-2768; Cr-129. Alexander I. Toned. Very Fine to Extremely Fine.
Estimated Value $30-50.

Lot 5576
RUSSIA. Ruble, 1820. PS-SP'. Dav-281; Sev-2798. Alexander I. Elegant two-tone golden gray iridescence. Bold strike. Dramatic appearance. Extremely rare assayer for this date. NGC graded MS-64.
Estimated Value $1,500-UP.

Lot 5577
RUSSIA. 20 Kopecks, 1820. PD-SP'. S-2787. Alexander I. Elegant silvery blue iridescent toning. NGC graded Proof 65.
Estimated Value $200-UP.

Lot 5578
RUSSIA. 2 Kopecks, 1820-KM. B-300A; KM-N486. Novodel. Alexander I. Faded red with medium brown. NGC graded MS-65 Red and Brown.
Estimated Value $200-250.

Lot 5579
RUSSIA. Ruble, 1822. PD-SP'. Dav-281; Sev-2825. Alexander I. A choice coin with booming luster beneath bright bluish gold iridescent toning. NGC graded MS-63.
Estimated Value $400-600.

Lot 5580
RUSSIA. 2 Kopecks, 1822-AM-KM. B-306A. Novodel. Alexander I. Lovely light golden reddish surfaces. NGC graded MS-66 Red and Brown.
Estimated Value $250-UP.

Lot 5581
RUSSIA. 10 Kopecks, 1824. PD-SP'. Cr-127; Sev-2845. Alexander I. Toned. NGC graded MS-64.
Estimated Value $100-125.

Lot 5582
RUSSIA. 5 Kopecks, 1824. PA. Sev-2844; Cr-126. Alexander I. Struck from clashed and nearly shattered dies. Elegant gray toning. NGC graded MS-63.
Estimated Value $100-125.

Nicholas I (1825-1855)

 A military man and early technocrat, the new czar was the opposite of his eldest brother in almost every way. As Alexander died without an heir of his own, it was Duke Constantine who stood next in line of succession. But the duke had married a Pole and renounced his rights to the throne of Russia. The crown fell to Nicholas, the other brother. An iron will and grim determination to secure both the homeland against external threat and the throne against internal revolt marked the stifling reign of Czar Nicholas. His great passions were engineering and the military. He loved the parade ground's discipline. A man of striking appearance, he headed the army corps of engineers and lived by the rules of orthodoxy, autocracy and nationality. This meant that the official Church became the ethical base of the state, that absolute power was in the hands of the Czar, and that all Russians must dedicate themselves to the nation under the guidance of the monarchy. Never again, the Czar insisted, would Russia bend to another Napoleon. The Czar longed for a great future for his country and was determined to provide it at any cost. The Decembrists' rebellion led Nicholas to investigate, arrest, try at court, and punish all its members. The Czar put all the force of the new bureaucracy and of his militaristic beliefs behind this cause, thereby eliminating these rebels and frightening others with similar ideas. The political police, one of the new ministries, became a symbol of this czar's reign, as did censorship over every aspect of Russian life. The police put down subversion and struck fear into all. While the sovereign paid endless attention, in minute detail, to the business of governing, his police investigated every suggestion of treason, yet throughout the reign found almost none. The czar had indeed managed to control his subjects' behavior and to secure the inalienable powers of the autocrat. External wars were becoming a thing of the past, almost. At the beginning of his reign, Nicholas defeated Persia, bringing Georgia ever more securely into the fold. And a series of battles with Turkey gave Russia control of the Danube at the sea, more land in the Caucasus, and dominance over Moldavia and Wallachia. While the homeland expanded and Nicholas clung to the old order, his militarism lacked insight. At the end of his reign, he offended outside powers greater than his mighty Russia. Bent on partitioning the Ottoman Empire, the Czar tangled with the British, and it proved to be his downfall. His rash opinions and demands concerning the Straits set off the Crimean War of 1854-1855, in which the British and their allies (French, Turkish, Sardinian) broke Russia's back at Sevastopol. During the siege of eleven and a half months, Czar Nicholas I died of ill health. In 30 years, he managed to isolate Russia from the world, attempting to build a massive internal strength, but the Treaty of Paris which ended the Crimean War led to the decline of Russia as a world power for decades to come. Frozen in time, Russia needed change.

Lot 5583
RUSSIA. Coronation Medal, 1826. Bronze. 65 mm. signed by Alexie V. "KG, SA'". Smirnov-413a variety. Nicholas I, bust right. Reverse: Crown on column. Proof-like. Uncirculated.
Estimated Value $300-400.

Lot 5584
RUSSIA. Novodel Pattern Portrait Ruble, 1827. Sev-2910. Silver. 20.2 grams. 36 mm. Lettered edge. Bust of Nicholas I right. Mint mark under truncation. Reverse: "Masonic" type eagle within circular wreath. Unusual edge, probably done at the mint for die preparation. Extremely Rare. Some light hairlines on reflective surfaces but the piece is exceptionally attractive because of its light silvery color, frosted reverse devices, and pale golden hues around the legends. Uncirculated.
Estimated Value $20,000-UP.

Lot 5585
RUSSIA. 25 Kopecks, 1827. NG. H-321; Sev-2903. Nicholas I. Beautifully toned: iridescent amber-gold and silvery gray. NGC graded Proof 64.
Estimated Value $400-UP.

Lot 5586
RUSSIA. Pattern 3 Kopecks, 1827. SP'. B-200, Uzd-3196. 10.68 grams. Obviously struck over a lightweight 2 kopeck piece. Rare. Red and brown and choice. NGC graded MS-64.
Estimated Value $500-UP.
Ex-B. Peus Auction, Nov.1973; Ex World Wide, Brekke Collection, Part III, Lot 1654.

Lot 5587
RUSSIA. 1 Kopeck, 1828-AM-KM. B-73. Nicholas I. Elegant chocolate-brown surfaces. NGC graded MS-64 Brown.
Estimated Value $75-100.

Lot 5588
RUSSIA. Ruble, 1829. NG-SP'. Dav-282; Sev-2934. Nicholas I. An exquisite specimen--one of the finest known. Especially bold strike (in fact, a diebreak in the bow), the eagle frosted, and the obverse glows with a vivid, neon-bright blue iridescence. The reverse color is a soft silvery gold, with a hint of the same blue that predominates on the obverse. The cataloguer cannot locate a single abrasion worth noting. In terms of quality, one of the stars of Dr. Hesselgesser's collection. NGC graded MS-66.
Estimated Value $2,000-UP.
Ex Irving Goodman Sale, Feb 1991, Lot 891.

Lot 5589
RUSSIA. Ruble, 1829. NG-SP'. Dav-282; Sev-2932. Nicholas I. Wings down. NGC graded MS-64.
Estimated Value $600-800.

Lot 5590
RUSSIA. Ruble, 1830. NG-SP'. Dav-282; Sev-2956. Nicholas I. Greenish blue iridescence on the reverse, while the obverse shows lighter silvery blue color and a frosted eagle. NGC graded Proof 64.
Estimated Value $750-1,000.

Lot 5591
RUSSIA. 25 Kopecks, 1830. NG-SP'. S-2949. Beautiful gold iridescent toning. Rare. NGC graded Proof 64.
Estimated Value $400-500.

Lot 5592
RUSSIA. 25 Kopecks, 1830. NG. Sev-2953; H-327. Nicholas I. NGC graded MS-64.
Estimated Value $250-300.
Ex Irving Goodman Sale, Feb 1991, Lot 1031.

Lot 5593
RUSSIA. 20 Kopecks, 1830. NG-SP'. S-2948. NGC graded MS-66.
Estimated Value $200-UP.

Lot 5594
RUSSIA. 10 Kopecks, 1830. SP'. B-273A. Novodel. Nicholas I. Light hairlines but brown with much red still showing about the devices, and bright iridescent blue hues. NGC graded Proof 64.
Estimated Value $350-450.

Lot 5595
RUSSIA. 10 Kopecks, 1830-EM. B-275. Edge-0. Novodel. Nicholas I. Tannish mauve with light hairlines (hence the 63 grade). NGC graded Proof 63.
Estimated Value $400-600.

Lot 5596
RUSSIA. Pattern 10 Kopecks, 1830. SP'. B-273A. Novodel. Nicholas I. Hard luster, light brown with some fading golden red. NGC graded Proof 63.
Estimated Value $400-500.
Ex World Wide, Brekke Collection, Part III, Lot 1670 (no tag).

Lot 5597
RUSSIA. Pattern 5 Kopecks, 1830-EM. B-240. Novodel. Edge-0. Nicholas I. Gorgeous mahogany-brown surfaces with significant deep-red luster remaining. NGC graded MS-65.
Estimated Value $350-450.

Lot 5598
RUSSIA. 5 Kopecks, 1830-EM. B-240. Novodel. Edge-0. Nicholas I. Rare. Struck from pebbly dies. Golden red, a hint of toning, well struck but the reverse off center. NGC graded MS-65 Red.
Estimated Value $300-UP.

Lot 5599
RUSSIA. Pattern 5 Kopecks, 1830. SP'. B-238. Nicholas I. Rare original striking. About 50% golden red, especially the obverse. Sharp and pleasing. NGC graded MS-64.
Estimated Value $400-UP.

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