Czar Nicolas II items sell at auction for $1.39M
Czar Nicholas II of Russia, 1898. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons.
GENEVA (AFP) – Items linked to Russia’s imperial family, including four letters penned by Czar Nicolas II, have fetched more than a million euros on the auction block, a Swiss auction house in Geneva said Tuesday.
The missives were from the collection of Prince Nicholas Romanov, 90, a descendent of Russia’s imperial dynasty, and addressed to Romanov’s great uncle, Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich, the Hotel des Ventes in Geneva said.
They went for a record 120,000 Swiss francs – far beyond the estimate of between 9,000 and 14,000 Swiss francs.
In total, items from the collection reached 1.3 million Swiss francs (1.08 million euros, $1.39 million).
The buyer of the letters, part of a collection including imperial photos and a military cap, was a Monaco-based Russian collector and history buff.
The letters are significant historical documents that portray Russia during World War I and also the czar’s personal commitment to his army.
They also highlight ties between the czar and the grand duke.
“It’s always satisfying to have a great auction result, but it’s an even bigger pleasure to know that these documents were acquired by one history buff. He’s Russian too – it’s overwhelming,” Romanov said.
ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
Czar Nicholas II of Russia, 1898. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons.
