GreatCollections to Sell Rare Ingot

GreatCollections will sell a rare 1919 Russian gold ingot bearing Imperial hallmarks on Sunday, August 18. At the time of this writing, the firm has received 58 bids.

The ingot includes the 1919 date, serial number, weight, and a pair of crowned double-headed Imperial eagles, which are repeated on three sides.

Background

The 44-ounce ingot hails from a direct descendant of Mikhail Pleshkov Jr., a prominent Russian colonel and aide-de-camp to Tsar Nicholas. Pleshkov Jr. was one of the leaders of the White movement in the Far East. After its fall, he emigrated to the United States, where he died in 1956.

In August 1918, the White Army seized control of the massive gold reserve held at Kazan and it was never seen again. “This is an important piece of history—and if only it could speak to tell us the whole story. Aside from the raw, aged gold, we instantly think of the capture of the Imperial Russian gold reserve at Kazan by the White Army in 1918 and its unclear fate 100 years later,” says Ian Russell, president of GreatCollections.

Discovery

Atlanta coin dealer Rob Oberth of Gold & Coin Exchange discovered the bar and pedigreed it. He purchased the ingot from a Pleshkov Jr. family member’s estate earlier this year.

“When my client initially revealed the bar, I was astounded by its size and originality,” says Oberth. “And when I asked about their family history, it ties it directly to pre-revolutionary Russian royalty.”  

Visitors at the ANA’s World’s Fair of Money^® (August 6-10) can check out the ingot at Table 201. (To learn more, visit the link above.)