Although Imperial gold proof coins exist around 1830s, such coins are exceeding scarce, and that is if you can even locate one in the first place...

I have nothing left to comment.

Link

That's a camera trick!

It does not look like a real proof to me either.

It might be the photography that is fooling me, but there are indeed proof issues minted.

This is what I am used to seeing, (sorry Tane, borrowing your pic for this post)



And most of the 10 rubles that I have seen just has a matte finish, and not such reflective surfaces.

The last Tsar Nikolai II 5 ruble proof was offered by Dmitri Markov a couple of years ago, if I can remember right.

Some excellent proof examples were offered by Northeastcoin, and they actually had a 1818 (I believe) PROOF 5 gold ruble wings down series for sale in the past! A pity that they were already insane expensive years ago. Can't imagine what it can reach nowadays.

Nevertheless, here are some links of slabbed proof coins from Northeast:

1911 silver 15 kopeks

1836 platinum 3 rubles

Another example up on the bay right now:
1868 copper 3 kopeks proof

Silly me, goldbergcoins has a longer list of proof coins that went for auctions.

Here are some of them:

1840 2k proof
1878 5 rubles proof
1885 3 rubles proof
1912 50k
1914 1 ruble

Definately insane prices.

I don't know this seller. I have never done business with him and so can offer no comment about him.

However, based on what I see in the auction listing, I agree with gx.

The coin looks like a decent proof to me and I don't see anything that leads me to believe it is anything other than what the seller says it is. Proof Russian gold coins aren't common, but they do exist.

If I'm missing something here, then please tell me what it is that you see that I don't.

The way the lighting is. Any coin can look like a proof when the coin is under the light like that. When I first took pics a lot of mine looked that way. It could be a proof it's possible, but... I wouldn't trust it by the photo.

There's an example. Of course that's a silver that just looks gold.

The coin is remarkably well detailed for a business strike (if that is what it is).

It has the deep strike, frosted devices and brilliant fields I expect to see in a proof.

I see nothing that is suggestive of image manipulation and as the image of Tane's 1903 10 rubles shows, business strikes of this type typically do not display the deep luster and cameo contrast seen on the coin offered by the British dealer (nor such a deep strike).

While I hesitate to make any absolute statements based solely on a digital photo or a scan, I see nothing here that makes me suspicious.

It looks like it has a light rub in the hair, but otherwise appears to me to be a very nice coin indeed.

Well I'm not going to argue it. I don't think there is any image manipulation what so ever. I just know how the photo was taken. I can't say whether it is or isn't a proof. I can't say whether the seller is trying to fool anyone or isn't. All I know is how the photo happens to look the way it does.

The Mortimer Hammel collection of gold coins (Stack's, September 15-16 1982 auction) had numerous Russian gold coins. One of the truly outstanding coins offered (all were of extremely high quality because Hammel was a condition freak) was lot 589, a brilliant proof 1817 5 rubles.

It brought $2,100 on a $1,250 estimate (over 20 years ago, well before the Russian market started really heating up).

Okay.

By the way, this is a good board you're running here with many serious collectors.

We certainly try.

Awesome coin -- and the opening bid is about 80% of the Krause price. The new catalog by V.V. Kazakov for coins of the period of Nicholas II quotes $3,000 for 1901-ФЗ proofs and $4,000 for 1901-AP. Now if only all eBay sellers of Russian coins would learn to properly attribute the mintmaster variety ...

I think I'll put it on my watch list just to see how high it goes ...

Winning bid was $2,750.00 -- not too bad!

Winning bid was $2,750.00 -- not too bad!