Rare Russian Coins & Other Collectables

March 24, 2024 12:00 PM AEDT
Timed Auction

299 Lots

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Smalls Auctions

Location: Sydney, Australia

Phone: +61 (0)2 9357 5492

Payment

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  • Accepts online payments
Accepted Forms of Payment: American Express, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Other, Paypal, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

AUSTRALIA :

Purchases within Australia will be charged a MINIMUM SHIPPING FEE of $10.00 and will be sent by Registered Post.

Additional insurance is optional at the buyer's expense.

Larger lots may incur an additional charge.

OVERSEAS :

Overseas purchases will be charged a MINIMUM SHIPPING FEE of $35.00 and will be sent by standard International Post.

Additional insurance is optional at the buyer's expense

Larger lots may incur an additional charge.

If we are unsure of the bona fides of a successful bidder we may request identification such as a Passport Photo or Drivers's Licence that matches the Credit Card details registered with Invaluable before we despatch an item.

Both Australian and International packages are traceable in transit and may require a signature on delivery.

Welcome to Smalls Auctions Sale 257 Third-Party grading now dominates the serious end of coin investment and in the Australian context it is PCGS that appears to rule the roost, whereas in International Auction rooms I believe NGC still holds equal standing. Which is not to say that I always see eye to eye with the grades given by either grading company, but it must be acknowledged that as more and more high-grade coins are submitted to the grading services they are slowing building a reference photo-file of all the better-known coins from which to adjudicate which is the ‘finest known.’ It is obvious that no dealer can lay claim to seeing all the available candidates for the ‘best of the best’ in a particular series, regardless of how long they have traded, but if you have chalked up over forty years dealing at the high end of the market and have attuned your grading skills then you can usually get within a point of the expected MS grade when you send off coins for grading. Or so I have found. What you cannot plan for is for the odd coin that comes back as Uncirculated details – cleaned, or is knocked back entirely because of perceived PVC damage. I personally witnessed dealers at coin fairs in the 1990’s miraculously restore with Windex cloudy (PVC affected) coins they had purchased on site which they on sold immediately, or successfully sent off for grading by the two eminent third-party grading services. Recently, however I have noticed a growing trend for high-grade coins to be returned in body-bags (not gradable in their opinion) or in holders labelled Uncirculated details - cleaned. I have just received back one such coin, a beautifully toned Australian Florin which I purchased in a PCGS MS64+ holder. From my experience I thought it was grossly under graded, and so I ‘cracked’ it out of the original holder, attached the originally label and resubmitted it for a second opinion. Imagine my dismay when this coin displaying orininal ‘old-world tone’ was returned to me as Uncirculated details - cleaned. I’m still puzzling over that one. Another coin I just received back is the Russian 1791 Catherine II Rouble, the feature coin in our current Sale. It too was returned as Uncirculated details - cleaned, a judgement which again puzzles me. On my eye I saw it as conservatively an MS63 which would place this coin in contention for the finest known Rouble of this date. PCGS had never previously graded a 1791 Rouble and of the nine coins graded by NGC the best grade achieved was an AU58, so it is undoubtedly a very rare coin in high grade. There are historical sales of Uncirculated coins of this date either described adjectively or in third-party holders graded by less recognised services such as the Russian ‘National Numismatic Register.’ Sales of note I have found were 'Kunker' (30/9/2010) the coin described as Uncirculated which sold for USD $13,800 + Commission , 'Sincona' (12/10/2012) described as about Uncirculated for USD $9,044 + Commission and the 'Rare Coins' Auction House (Russia) Sale 33 (1/10/2022) MS62 HHP for USD $16,275 + Commission. A picture is worth a thousand words, so if you key in the coin’s PCGS Number 4896658 on the ‘Cert Verification’ function on the PCGS homepage you can judge for yourself from the photo-file whether this 1791 Russian Rouble is potentially a candidate for the finest known of the date OR not. Smalls Auctions.
Buyer's Premium
$0-99: 20.0%
$100-499: 20.0%
$500-999: 20.0%
$1,000-4,999: 20.0%
$5,000+: 20.0%
Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
A$0 A$249 A$5
A$250 A$999 A$10
A$1,000 A$4,999 A$25
A$5,000 A$9,999 A$50
A$10,000 + A$100

Conditions of Sale

VAT and taxes: The Buyer's Premium is inclusive of the Australian G(oods) & S(ervices T(ax) incurred by our service.

Shipping Terms: AUSTRALIA :

Purchases within Australia will be charged a MINIMUM SHIPPING FEE of $10.00 and will be sent by Registered Post.

Additional insurance is optional at the buyer's expense.

Larger lots may incur an additional charge.

OVERSEAS :

Overseas purchases will be charged a MINIMUM SHIPPING FEE of $35.00 and will be sent by standard International Post.

Additional insurance is optional at the buyer's expense

Larger lots may incur an additional charge.

If we are unsure of the bona fides of a successful bidder we may request identification such as a Passport Photo or Drivers's Licence that matches the Credit Card details registered with Invaluable before we despatch an item.

Both Australian and International packages are traceable in transit and may require a signature on delivery.

Buyers Premium: All purchases are subject to an all inclusive 20.0 % Buyer's Premium on the hammer price.

Tax Details: Taxes, Duties and Customs Charges that apply in the country of delivery are the express responsibility of the buyer.

Please notify us if you require a specific description on the outside of the package for customs purposes.