Russia 1846-SP AG 5 rubles
The first specimen was lot 30677 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Chicago, August 2022), where it sold for $3,840. The catalog description[2] noted, "RUSSIA. 5 Rubles, 1846-CNB AT. St. Petersburg Mint. Nicholas I. NGC MS-63. Variety with 'eagle of 1845'. The final year of the type for this slightly larger eagle, the present example, yielding immense quality with respect to brilliance and clean surfaces, would appear to be a bit conservatively graded, as it seems to yield a near-Gem allure. As such, a premium-quality piece for the grade assigned." The second specimen was lot 24771 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2018), where it sold for $780. The catalog description[1] noted, "RUSSIA. 5 Ruble, 1846-CNB AT. PCGS AU-53 Secure Holder. Eagle of 1847. Sharply struck, nicely toned with soft satin underlying luster." This type was struck at the St. Petersburg mint 1832-54. In 1846, the eagle was modified and made slightly smaller (KM C175.3). Large numbers were made but few survive. In 1886, the standard was revised to match the French twenty francs d'or, resulting in a weight reduction to .186 troy oz.
Recorded mintage: 3,442,000 (including C175.1 and C175.3).
Specification: 6.54 g, 0.917 fine gold, .193 troy oz AGW.
Catalog reference: the first specimen Fr-155; KM-C175.1; Bit-27, the second specimen Fr-155; KM C175.3; Bit-28.
- 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.
- Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017.
- [1]Ponterio, Richard, Kyle Ponterio, John Kraljevich and Cris Chatigny, The January 2018 NYINC Sale: Ancient Coins, World Coins & Paper Money, featuring the Eldorado Collection of Colombian and Ecuadorian Coins, Santa Ana, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2017.
- [2]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, The 2022 ANA Auction - Ancients & World Coins - Featuring The Salton Collection Part III, the Augustana Collection and the Robert C. Knepper Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2022.
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