Hi all,   
      
   I read this today on one of the journals I get in my inbox, absolutely   
   incredible figurine..   
      
   For those of you unfamiliar with this section of NYS, Rhinebeck NY is the home   
   of what I'd call NY state's "old money".. really very very old, and needless   
   to say, wealthy.   
      
   Kovels.com sent me this in a newsletter:   
      
   "A Faberge hardstone figure was found last summer during a search of the attic   
   of a Rhinebeck, N.Y., house included in an estate. A small, plain box was   
   opened and inside was the rare carved figure sitting on silk lining labeled   
   with the Faberge emblem. A December 1934 bill of sale from Hammer Galleries   
   was also found. Armand Hammer bought many Russian treasures with the help of   
   the Soviet government, which needed cash in the 1930s. The 7-inch-high figure   
   of the bodyguard to Empress Alexandra was made of jasper, sapphires, nephrite,   
   sardonyx, purpurine, gold, enamel and cachalong (a type of opal). It was   
   estimated at $500,000 to $800,000 but sold for a record $5,980,000. The buyer   
   was a Russian jeweler who buys for his store and for private clients. The   
   auction was held Oct. 26, 2013, by Stair Galleries in Hudson, N.Y."   
      
   https://tinyurl.com/mde7gcg   
      
   $5,980,000! Outrageously beautiful figurine.. for pictures, check out   
   the URL above.   
      
   Of course, the attic of our 1850's house was empty when we bought this house   
   in Ithaca, NY... but as far as old $$ goes, 1850's would be considered "new   
   kids on the block" :)   
      
   Take care,   
   Janis   
      
   --- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Dada-1   
    * Origin: Prism bbs (1:261/38)