|
Russian-American Company. 1 Rouble
From Stack's January 2005 Auction, Session 1 on Jan 18, 2005
|
 Russian-American Company. 1 Rouble. Printed in black on thin, ''mustard'' yellow parchment (''canary'' as quoted once in a letter from Mr. Ford to Hank Clifford) with very minor surface granularity. Like the 25 Kopeck, 50 Kopeck and 1 Rouble notes above, the surfaces are essentially very smooth on both sides. 62mm by 47mm. The size is similar to the 10 Kopeck notes, but with no holes in the upper corners. The lack of holes would differentiate the higher denomination note for the basically illiterate native population and helped to identify the note. The common face (as catalogued in the Clifford Sale) with a company seal using a double headed Imperial Russian eagle within an oval frame, legend in Russian translated UNDER THE HIGH PATRONAGE OF HIS IMPERIAL MAJESTY. The denomination in words below the seal using italic type as shown in Zander Fig.10d. The back (often considered the face by many) has a finely engraved oval protector with spiral details with the Russian legend translated NOTE IN AMERICA with the denomination '1 PYB' below. The serial number frame with 'No' is at the bottom of this oval, outlined white to allow the serial number to be written in. At the base is a shaded box with the authorized signature. No.9481. Signature not visible. Eighteen examples recorded in the 1996 Census by Zander, nine in museums, with this note reported as the Clifford note of course.
A magnificent example, graded a full About Uncirculated in the Clifford Sale in 1982 (lot 350 with tag included). We have to agree with that designation as there is just a hint of a crinkled bend at the right of the note. This heavy handling may not be circulation at all, but old time collector handling. The parchment surfaces are strikingly clean and rich with the printing quality razor sharp on both sides of the note. The face is centered slightly to the left and we note there is a plate flaw on the oval that resulted in a white streak in the printing on the back oval.
This note brought $2,800.00 in the ancient history of 1982 at the Clifford Sale. Since that time there has not been a 1 Rouble note of this exceptional state of preservation offered publicly. Again, this is high in the Condition Census for the type. In the present era of sophisticated paper currency collectors in all American and international series, we believe that this note represents a tremendous bidding opportunity whatever the cost. This note, the 25 Kopeck and 50 Kopeck notes are likely to set public auction records for these denominations on the Russian-American series and most deservedly so. They are worthy of inclusion in the finest numismatic cabinet, whether it be American or foreign.
Ex Henry H. Clifford Collection (Bowers & Ruddy Galleries, March 18-20, 1982, lot 350); the Erik Van Cort ''Compass Box'', January 16, 1975.
The story of the Erik Van Cort ''Box'' was recounted to Hank Clifford in a typed letter from John Ford to him on January 17, 1975. There were four notes in the Van Cort group and Mr. Ford examined all of them for Clifford and pronounced them genuine. Mr. Ford compared measurements with his notes and the literature available at the time to make the proper judgment regarding the integrity of those four notes. They included a 10 Kopeck (serial 21780), a 25 Kopeck (17346), a 50 Kopeck (13358), and the 1 Rouble offered here (9481). These four notes were all part of Hank Clifford's Collection and were sold as lots 346, 347, 348, and 350 respectively.
On the second page of the letter, Mr. Ford writes: ''Erik Van Cort, who lives near the infamous Woodstock, N.Y. [the 1969 concert still on the mind of the ''establishment''], told me the story of how he acquired his four Russian American Co. skin notes. Van Cort, on the side, buys and sells various types of antiques. He purchased a boxed compass set in December, 1973 from an antique shop in Pittsfield, Mass. A brass plaque on the lid of the box had the date 1888 and engraved initials in script. He said that the engraving was poorly done. It seems that most boxed compass sets have hinged velvet or velour inner lid[s], behind which a protractor is usually mounted or stored. The inner lid on the boxed compass set that Van Cort purchased had a cloth hinge. In examining his set, Van Cort discovered a small group of Alaskan fractional denomination type notes hidden behind the lid. Only one large, ''regular size'' obsolete note was in the lot, a $20, 2/17/64 CSA Treasury Note. This was folded, and Van Cort believes the smaller notes [i.e. the ''Walrus Skin'' notes] were placed inside it. Most of the other pieces of paper money in the lot (other than the Russian American Co. notes) consisted of worn U.S. Fractional Currency....'' The woman that sold Van Cort the set told him she believed the set ''came from Vermont''. The four notes were quite a windfall for Van Cort and of course Hank Clifford as the four notes bordered on the exceptional.
| |
|
|
Click on an image below for a larger version  
|
|
