COLLECTION OF RARE AND HISTORIC CORRESPONDENCE SOLD AT AUCTION IN GENEVA

GENEVA BASED AUCTIONEERS HOTEL DES VENTES SOLD A HIGHLY IMPORTANT AND UNIQUE COLLECTION OF EXTENSIVE CORRESPONDENCE, PHOTOGRAPHS AND DRAWINGS EXCHANGED BETWEEN HIH GRAND DUKE GEORGE ALEXANDROVICH, HIH GRAND DUCHESS XENIA ALEXANDROVNA, HIH GRAND DUKE MIKHAIL ALEXANDROVICH AND HIH GRAND DUCHESS OLGA ALEXANDROVNA AND THEIR PRIVATE TUTOR FERDINAND THORMEYER OF SWITZERLAND. THE AUCTION ROOM WAS OVERCROWDED LEAVING STANDING ROOM ONLY. THE TWO MOST PROMINENT BUYERS WERE SWISS PRIVATE COLLECTORS. RUSSIAN BUYERS WERE ACTIVE BOTH IN THE ROOM AND BY TELEPHONE AS WELL AS A SELECT FEW AMERICAN CLIENTS. THE TOTAL SALE PRICE REACHING 390,000 SWISS FRANCS, THE COLLECTION FETCHED ALMOST FOUR TIMES ITS HIGH ESTIMATE. BERNARD PIGUET, DIRECTOR AND PRINCIPAL AUCTIONEERS OF HOTEL DES VENTES STATES: 'WE ARE DELIGHTED WITH THE SUCCESS OF THIS SALE, WHICH HAS SURPASSED OUR EXPECTATIONS. WE CAN REVEAL THAT ALL THE LOTS HAVE BEEN SOLD WITHOUT EXCEPTION AND FOR AN AMOUNT ALMOST FOUR TIMES THE HIGH ESTIMATE, CLEARLY SHOWING TEH LEVEL OF INTEREST AMONG COLLECTORS FOR THIS HISTORICAL AND UNPUBLISHED CORRESPONDENCE'. THE LOT THAT ACHIEVED THE HIGHEST PRICE IN THE COLLECTION WAS LOT #185, THE 35 LETTERS WRITTEN BY GRAND DUKE MIKHAIL BETWEEN 1902 AND 1911 ESTIMATED AT 5,000-8,000 SOLD FOR 34,000 SWISS FRANCS. CLOSE BEHIND WAS LOT #184, CONSISTING OF 80 LETTERS WRITTEN BY THE GRAND DUKE BETWEEN 1900 AND 1904 ESTIMATED AT 10,000-15,000, SOLD FOR 32,800 SWISS FRANCS. MATCHING THIS WAS THE PRECIOUS ROSE GOLD AND SILVER CIGARETTE CASE LOT #164, PRESENTED BY NICHOLAS II AND HIS BROTHER GRAND DUKE GEORGE TO THEIR TUTOR, ESTIMATED AT 5,000-8,000 AND ALSO SOLD FOR 32,800. THE HIGHEST PRICE FOR A SINGLE PHOTOGRAPH WAS LOT #153, THE FAMILY PORTRAIT OF ALEXANDER III BY LEVITSKY, ESTIMATED AT 400-600 AND FETCHING 6,600 SWISS FRANCS.