Gold Jetton of the St Petersburg Chapter of the Russian Red Cross for Assistance to Crippled Soldiers and Their Families, by Eduard ("IL"), 1908-1910.
In solid 14 K gold and enamels; measures 46.2 mm in height (from the top point of the eyelet to the bottom tip, not including the connecting link), 24.7 mm in width; weighs 10.6 g not including the connecting link, 10.9 overall. This beautiful and extremely complex piece consists of several parts crafted separately and then joined with exquisite precision and skill. The golden main portion with elaborate ornamental border is of hollow construction, apparently made in two parts in such a way that the seam between them is completely invisible. The Imperial crown at the top is likewise of bulbous hollow construction. The other separate parts include the Red Cross emblem, blue scroll with inscription on the obverse, heraldic emblem of St. Petersburg with narrow blue scroll and crossed scepters, and golden plaque on the reverse bearing the engraved name of the recipient: Э. Е. ЭБСВОРТЪ ("E. E. Ebsvort"). The inscription in the blue scroll on the obverse is "St. Petersburg Committee of the Russian Red Cross. To Provide Assistance to Crippled Soldiers and Their Families". The eyelet shows a stamped gold hallmark 56 with "Kokoshnik" and Greek character Alpha designating the St. Petersburg assay inspection, as well as additional circular assayer's hallmark with Kokoshnik. There is also a clearly legible maker mark ИЛ ("IL"), early hallmark of the famous St. Petersburg's Eduard jewelry firm. Combined with Kokoshnik facing right, the maker's mark pinpoints the period of manufacture to just three years from 1908 through 1910 (starting from 1910, Eduard pieces had maker mark "ВД" [VD] for Vera Dietvald , the widow of the original owner of the firm.)
The jetton is in very fine to excellent overall condition. It appears practically perfect to the naked eye, although at very close examination, some minor contact marks and scratches on the red cross become visible. There are also a minuscule chip to the blue scroll on the obverse between the letters in its upper part, which is completely invisible without a loupe; and a similarly tiny chip - mostly not penetrating to gold and unnoticeable without magnification - to the upper right segment of the blue scroll on the reverse. Both the blue and red enamels fully retain beautiful original luster; to reiterate, the damage to enamel is minimal and does not detract in the least from its overall appearance. The raised details of the artwork are essentially pristine and extremely crisp. The exposed portions of the crown in particular are amazingly well preserved. The unmarked golden link for connection to a watch fob appears to be original to the jetton.
Awarded in all likelihood for major donation to benefit soldiers severely wounded during the Russo-Japanese War, this jetton is a magnificent piece, a true representative of the Imperial Russian workmanship at its finest. The inscribed name of the original owner presents an excellent opportunity for further historical research. Note that a nearly identical piece made by Faberge is featured on page 321 of the reference book Jettons of the Russian Empire by Aleksandr Ivanov (C. 2004 Moscow); the latter example however does not show the name of the recipient.
Please note, penny in our photo is for size reference.
/Jettons of the Russian Empire, Aleksandr Ivanov, C. 2004 Moscow, p. 321, fig. 128; note that the book shows a practically identical example of the same jetton produced by the Faberge workmaster A.F. Holming./
Item# 34892
$2,500.00 Add to cart
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