Russia (1885) 10 zolotniks
This specimen was lot 20529 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (Newport Beach, CA, January 2021), where it sold for $3,000. The catalog description[1] noted, "RUSSIA. 10 Zolotniks (Affinage Ingot), ND (ca. 1885)-AA. St. Petersburg Mint. Alexander III. PCGS MS-61 Gold Shield. A pleasing late 19th-century issue struck to repay the owners of gold mines who had supplied precious metals to the mint. Though graded as only an MS-61, the present specimen, in the opinion of this cataloger, is rather conservatively certified, as it features brilliant cartwheel luster with an enchanting hint of peripheral gold, along with only lightly scattered bag marks. A type rarely, if ever, encountered so dazzling. For comparison, an NGC MS-61, featuring rub, numerous contact marks and scuffs, and no real luster, realized a hammer of $700 in 2017. Despite their 'equivalent' grades, it can easily be seen that the present specimen is magnitudes better than its next closest rival. Worthy of an elite bid from the connoisseur of later Russian or interesting crown-sized issues." Altho the auction cataloguers attribute this to around 1885, the SCWC assigns this to 1901, and also mentions 24 dolya, 1 and 3 zolotniks. These are weights, not denominations.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 42.65 g, 0.990 fine silver, 1.357 troy oz.
Catalog reference: KM-4 (Nicholas II); Bit-258.
- Bitkin, Vladimir, Composite Catalogue of Russian Coins, Part II (1740-1917), Kiev: Moneta, 2003.
- Harris, Robert P., Guidebook of Russian Coins, 1725 to 1970, Santa Cruz, CA: Bonanza Press, 1971.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Richard Ponterio and Kyle Ponterio, The January 2021 NYINC Sale: Ancient Coins, World Coins & Paper Money, featuring the Oro del Nuevo Mundo and Matt Orsini Collections, Santa Ana, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2020.
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