HomeAuctionsThe "Family Ruble" of Nicholas I — An Important 19th-Century Crown

The “Family Ruble” of Nicholas I — An Important 19th-Century Crown

The "Family Ruble" of Nicholas I — An Important 19th-Century Crown featured in Stack's Bowers Jan. 2021 NYINC Auction

By Jeremy BostwickSenior Numismatist & Cataloger, Stack’s Bowers ……
From talers to dollars, crown-sized silver coins have always been very popular with collectors. Given their size and the fact that they are generally the whole unit for their issuing authorities, crowns can play a vital role in shaping a narrative both domestically and abroad.

A key aspect can be ensuring the legitimacy of the ruling family and its future leaders. A German taler from the Kingdom of Bavaria in 1828 features King Ludwig’s “blessings from heaven”–his wife and eight children, whose portraits all appear in small medallions upon the crown’s reverse. While this coin may generate a Brady Bunch feel to a more modern audience, it sparked great interest within the imperial court of nearby Russia, whose emperor, Nicholas (Nikolai) I, was nearing his first decade of rule. The prospect of mirroring the Bavarian “blessings from heaven” issue was enticing as Nicholas had seven (legitimate) children at the time.

In 1835, the Russian minister of finance commissioned engraver Pavel Utkin with recreating the Bavarian taler featuring Nicholas and his family. The end result, the so-called “family ruble”, would become one of the most sought after crowns ever produced.

Though technically not a ruble, the designs by Utkin–and those later reissued in limited quantities in order to satisfy the needs of Russian numismatists–were actually struck to the standard of 1-1/2 rubles or, in Russian-dominated Poland, 10 Złoty. These rare and highly coveted crowns display, at the center of the reverse, the wife of Nicholas, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, surrounded by their seven offspring: Crown Prince Aleksandr (the future Emperor Alexander II); Grand Duchesses Maria, Olga, and Alexandra; and Grand Dukes Konstantin, Nikolai, and Mikhail. Surviving in very small quantities and capturing this 19th-century ruling family at the height of their power and influence, these crowns instantly became favorites of collectors and centerpieces to advanced collections of world crowns.

Lot 20522 of the Stack’s Bowers Galleries January 2021 auction will feature an example of this desirable issue–with a golden-champagne hue sprinkled throughout and a deeper tone near the peripheries. Given the popularity of Russian numismatics and crown-sized issues in general, we expect that this monumental “family ruble” should attract tremendous enthusiasm and strong bids.

To view our upcoming auction schedule and future offerings, please visit StacksBowers.com where you may register and participate in this and other forthcoming sales.

We are always seeking coins, medals, and paper money for our future auctions, and are currently accepting submissions through January 15, 2021, for our April 2021 Hong Kong auction. Our next CCO (Collectors Choice Online) auction will cross the block in February 2021. If you would like to learn more about consigning, whether a singular item or an entire collection, please contact one of our consignment directors today and we will assist you in achieving the best possible return on your material.

Stack's Bowers
Stack's Bowershttps://stacksbowers.com/
Stack's Bowers Galleries conducts live, internet, and specialized auctions of rare U.S. and world coins and currency and ancient coins, as well as direct sales through retail and wholesale channels. The company's 90-year legacy includes the cataloging and sale of many of the most valuable United States coin and currency collections to ever cross an auction block — The D. Brent Pogue Collection, The John J. Ford, Jr. Collection, The Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr. Collection, The Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection, The Joel R. Anderson Collection, The Norweb Collection, The Cardinal Collection, The Sydney F. Martin Collection, and The Battle Born Collection — to name just a few. World coin and currency collections include The Pinnacle Collection, The Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr. Collection of World Gold Coins, The Kroisos Collection, The Alicia and Sidney Belzberg Collection, The Salton Collection, The Wa She Wong Collection, and The Thos. H. Law Collection. The company is headquartered in Costa Mesa, California with galleries in New York, Boston, and Philadelphia. Offices are also located in New Hampshire, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Virginia, Hong Kong, Paris, and Vancouver.

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