Tsar Nicholas 1 of Russia – and other monarchs – clearly valued the services of Britain’s Ambassador, Lord Durham, aka “Radical Jack” (1792-1840). They demonstrated it by awarding him a number of medals, which collectors obviously value as well. When they’re auctioned tomorrow at London’s Morton & Eden, these “Orders of Knighthood” are expected to fetch as much as $725,000.
Three of the awards, breast stars intended to adorn a uniform, are considered exceptionally fine: a St. Andrew “collar” created by the Russian court jeweler, Wilhelm Kammerer; the Order of Alexander Nevsky; and the Order of the White Eagle. The high estimate for these three alone is over $600,000.
Read more at Morton & Eden.
