Lot 1841
Russia. Ruble, 1757-SPB YaI. Bitkin-189; Sev-1686; Dav-1680. Rare portrait type with dies executed by Jacques Dassier, only issued for a few months. There are two reverse dies, one with, and one without the initials under the eagle, this example being the former. Due to an imperfect planchet, some of the design details are not fully struck up, such as the Czarina's ear and some of the hair directly above it and the lower gown details to the right of the mintmark. On the reverse, the left center shield and lower left parts of the eagle are soft due to some planchet thinness at those points, with the left initial just barely visible. That being said, we must admit that this beautiful Dassier designed ruble is one of our favorites in this sale because of its amazing originality. It is a wonderfully fresh coin with virtually complete original mint luster. The surfaces are clean and very slightly reflective with no post-production defects. But for the few areas mentioned, the strike is quite acceptable expressing the designer's intent. Jaques Antoine Dassier (1715-59), the son of famous medallist and coin engraver Jean Dassier (1676-1763), was in his own right a leading luminary of 18th century medallic art. From 1740 to 1745, he was assistant engraver at the Royal Mint in London. After a 3 year sojourn in Russia, where he produced the dies for Elizabeth's silver rouble and her gold ten roubles, he died in 1759 at Copenhagen. His designs are among the most interesting and attractive of the period and now much in demand. This very choice ruble is possibly the finest known of the type and extremely rare this nice. PCGS graded MS-63.
Estimated Value $25,000 - 35,000.
The Dr. Robert D. Hesselgesser Collection, Ex-Fuchs Sale, April 1996, Lot 255.
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| Realized $31,050 |
