Russia 1853-SP AG 5 rubles
This specimen was lot 32249 in Heritage sale 3067 (Long Beach, September 2018), where it sold for $21,000. The catalog description[1] noted, "Russia: Nicholas I gold Proof 5 Roubles 1853 CПБ-AГ PR62 Ultra Cameo NGC, St. Petersburg mint. The strike is superb and the green-gold surfaces exhibit only minor contact marks. The fields display the deeply-mirrored quality normally seen only on Proof coins. Very rare in Proof, with only two examples certified by NGC and PCGS, this PR62, and a PR63." This type was struck at the St. Petersburg mint 1846-54. 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: 3,900,000 plus proofs.
Specification: 6.54 g, 0.917 fine gold.
Catalog reference: KM C175.3, Bit-36, Fr-155.
- 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.
- 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.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Cristiano Bierrenbach, Warren Tucker and Sam Spiegel, 2018 September 6-11 Long Beach Expo World Coins & Ancient Coins Signature Auction #3067, Dallas: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2018.
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