Daria Khristova nee Chernenko
Department Director
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Lot 79
A commemorative jeton for the Imperial Yacht Polar Starapparently unmarked, circa 1890
27 November 2013, 14:00 GMT
London, New Bond Street£12,000 - £15,000
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A commemorative jeton for the Imperial Yacht Polar Star
apparently unmarked, circa 1890
the eight-point gold and silver (untested) star engraved with the yacht above Cyrillic inscription 'From M.I. Kazi', applied with enamelled orange and black ribbon, the reverse inscribed in Cyrillic: 'In memory of Polar Star 1890 18-848 knots'
height: 3cm (1 3/16in).
the eight-point gold and silver (untested) star engraved with the yacht above Cyrillic inscription 'From M.I. Kazi', applied with enamelled orange and black ribbon, the reverse inscribed in Cyrillic: 'In memory of Polar Star 1890 18-848 knots'
height: 3cm (1 3/16in).
Footnotes
The North Star was an Imperial yacht belonging to Alexander III and Nicholas II. It was built in 1888 at the Baltic Shipyard with lavish interiors befitting a floating palace. The exterior was elegantly appointed with blue sides bordered by a heavy golden rope. From 1891-1914, it was used for the monarch's State visits to Europe and to entertain foreign dignitaries at home. The Bersky treaty of 1905 was signed aboard the yacht. From 1905-1914, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna travelled yearly on the North Star to Copenhagen.
Badges were issued following test trials of the yacht to commemorate its reaching 18-848 knots and breaking a record in its class. An example is preserved in the Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg.
Mikhail Kazi (1839-1896) was born into a family of Greek aristocrats who settled in Russia during the Russian-Turkish war. He was born in Sevastopol, studied at the Black Sea Cadet School in Nikolaev and completed his service in the Black Sea Fleet. In 1868 he became director of the Odessa Shipyard. From 1874-1876 he served as mayor of Sevastopol. In 1877 he was appointed head of the Baltic Shipyard in St. Petersburg, a position he held until 1892. Under his leadership, the Russian fleet was significantly transformed with the additions of the famous "Minin", "Prince of Edinburgh", "Vladimir Monomakh", "Admiral Nakhimov", "Memory of Azov", "North Star" amongst other vessels.