RUSSIA. 10 Rubles, "1899"-AP (ca. 1925-26). Leningrad (St. Petersburg) Mint. Nicholas II. PCGS MS-65.
cf. Fr-179 (for prototype); cf. KM-Y-64 (same); Bit-Unlisted, though see p. 934 note for Soviet restrikes. Quite RARE and perplexing, this specimen, at first glance, appears as a regular issue for Russia's final czar, but the listed assayer's initials on the edge (AP) do not comport with those minted in 1899. In fact, those initials were not utilized until 1901, with either АГ, ЭБ, or ФЗ being the expected letters for 1899. Seemingly unrecorded in the standard and specialized references, Soviet restrikes are mentioned in Bitkin (p. 934) at the end of the 10 Rubles listings for Nicholas II, but little information is given, and these Soviet restrikes-- purportedly issued between December 1925 and March 1926 --are listed as presumably being from dies of 1911, but with no other information listed. Given the odd nature of the AP initials two years before they were otherwise in use, it seems likely that the edge lettering from later years was muled with an 1899 type for such a Soviet-era restrike. Of note, the assayer's initials on this holder (АГ) are inaccurate.
Estimate: $700.00- $1000.00