Lot 2808
Russia. Platinum Pattern Memorial Rouble 1801. Paul I, 1796-1801. Proof struck in platinum. Weight 35 grams. 38.6 mm diam. Edge plain. Obverse: Draped bust of Emperor right after C. Meisner. Reverse: Crowned imperial eagle holding orb and sceptre. M P at sides. One of a limited edition of 2 platinum pieces recently produced by the International Numismatic Agency Ltd. Choice Brilliant Proof.
* Paul was obsessed with the notion that he would be assassinated. This was however well-founded. On a night in March 1801 Paul was murdered in his bedroom in the newly built St Michael's Castle, by a band of dismissed officers led by General Bennigsen, a Hanoverian officer who had served Russia, and General Yashvil a Georgian.
There are many who see Paul as an obsessive compulsive man who was eccentric and delusional. Others see Paul as a man of high morals who identified and began to fight corruption and complacency in the state. For example it is said that Paul saw in the Russian nobility an element of degeneracy and tried, unsuccessfully, to introduce the high ideals of the Knights of Malta into Russia.
It does seem certain, however, that he lacked the charisma of his mother Catherine and his son Alexander, and the task of managing the vast Russian Empire and dealing with the many conflicting and varying factions within that Empire was probably beyond his grasp.
Estimated Value $2,000 - 2,400.
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