Best Investment with Lifetime Warranty !!
Maria SEMENOVA - LARGE RUSSIAN IMPERIAL SILVER TABLE CIGAR BOX
A Russian silver cigar box from Saint Petersburg, circa 1910, made by Maria Semenova, a famous company in Russia during that period. It is of rectangular form with a hinged lid raised by a gold-cased thumbpiece set with a cabochon-cut sapphire. The exterior features molded lines, while the lid displays applied gold initials 'JGO' in Cyrillic cursive script. The interior of the lid bears various engraved signatures, and it has a gilt interior.
HALLMARKS: '84' for silver standard and maker's mark 'MC' in Cyrillic for Maria Semenova, Moscow, circa 1896-1908.
SOME EXPERTS believe that items made by Maria Semenova can be found in Faberge cases. These items also have engraved numbers and letters, just like the items of independent workmasters who produced objects for FABERGE but were not part of the House of FABERGE.
CONDITION: Very good condition for its age. For further information, please refer to the pictures.
PROVENANCE: 1. From a reputable collector, San Francisco, California, USA, 2002-2022; 2. Chiswick Auctions, London, United Kingdom, October 11, 2023 (the winner will receive this information); 3. Our sale of this item adds another layer of provenance (please print this page). History of sale is very IMPORTANT for serious collection.
LARGE and HEAVY: Length - 6.75 inches (17.2 cm). Weight - 804 grams (25.85 ozt).
ESTIMATED PRICE: $2,000 - $10,000 (significantly lower than today's market price). You have a GREAT CHANCE to purchase a rare item for your collection, and over the years, its price will only INCREASE.
HISTORY of SALES: A few years ago, Russian silver cigar boxes were sold on Live Auctioneers and Sotheby's for $6,327 (2 years ago), $11,250 (14 years ago), $15,500 (8 years ago), and $33,000 (2 years ago) - please refer to the screenshots for details. Today, prices have significantly increased compared to those of 5-10 years ago.
WARRANTY: The buyer has 5 days to inspect items for originality, valued at up to $5,000, and 10 days for items valued at $5,000 or more. Items can be returned to the seller for a refund; please refer to the Terms for more details.
NO RESERVE: Most of the auctioned items have NO reserve price. Among the remaining items, there are reserve prices set at incredibly low levels, typically ranging from 30-40% of the low estimate price.
PAYMENT: Payment can be made with a Credit Card, Zelle, PayPal (for international bidders), Wire Transfer, Check, or Money Order. You can also suggest other methods of payment. Canadian winners can make payments to a Canadian Bank in CAD via Check, Money Order, Wire Transfer, or Interac e-Transfer.
PAY in PARTS - HOW it WORKS: You can pay for any item over a period of 3-6 months. To get started, please make a 10% deposit, and the item will be reserved for you. 10% means - if you won an item for $550, your minimum first payment equals $55. Simply make the deposit using any method listed on the invoice. The remaining balance can be paid in installments over up to 6 months at your convenience. The items will be sent to you once the full payment is made. NO interest will be added. Over the past few years, many people have found this option to be very HELPFUL. Even PayPal RECENTLY added the possibility to 'Pay in Parts' (please note: we have been using it for a few years!).
FREE SHIPPING: For item valued at $5,000 or more, domestic shipping is FREE. For other items, domestic shipping costs by registered mail range from $18.85 to $24.85 - much lower than in other places. Additionally, for XPress post shipping, the costs range from $48.85 to $68.85 (XPress post offers 100% safety; according to our experience, packages sent by XPress post have never been lost). There are NO pick-up fees, NO handling fees, and NO transportation fees. Combined shipping is available, and the shipping fee for each additional item is ONE DOLLAR.
CERTIFICATE: Looking to purchase an antique GIFT from us for someone else? Our Gift Certificates, available for any amount, are a great option to allow them to select items of their choice! Each Gift certificate is valid for ONE YEAR. You will have this Certificate in your hand. It is a very Unusual and Intelligent gift. Please email us for details.
NEW: Buyers who are satisfied with our service and give us a 5-star rating will receive FREE domestic shipping for ONE YEAR !!
WELCOME: We welcome new bidders and will ship the item according to your instructions.
EXCHANGE: If you find an item in our auction that you like, you have the option to exchange it for your collectible items of equivalent estimated value. Additionally, you can use your items as PART of the PAYMENT for a winning item; please feel free to inquire about this new and exciting feature.
PLEASE NOTE: If you want to buy this item, please make a bid now. Any offer is welcome. Lots that do NOT have any bids or have only ONE bid on them will be CLOSED three days before the auction starts and will not be included in it. Currently, there are 700+ items available for preview, but there will be ONLY 400 items in the Live Auction. Please bid NOW.

A LIFETIME WARRANTY is provided for the originality of this particular item manufactured during the described period of time.
BEST INVESTMENT: If you are an individual or an investment company concerned about preserving your capital in these uncertain times, items with a LIFETIME WARRANTY are the best way to do so. Consider this: traditional banks typically offer annual returns of 1-3% on your funds, while inflation exceeds 5%. In contrast, collectible items with a LIFETIME WARRANTY can yield a minimum profit of 30-50% per year - with no associated risks. Some of our items with a LIFETIME WARRANTY have the potential to generate immediate profits of 100% or even more!! By the way, our estimated price is much lower than the market price for this item now. Please explore our "HISTORY of SALES" section and look at the screenshots for samples of similar items sold at renowned auctions, such as Sotheby's, Christie's, Live Auctioneers, eBay, and more. The choice is YOURS.

Maria SEMENOVA: Semenova, Maria Wasiliewna. Working in Moscow from about 1890. Her pieces are of outstanding quality, especially in the painting of the cloisons. Her style tends more to the traditional, less often Art Nouveau. The magnificent cloisons of her flowers (on a matted gold grond) are shaded with violet tones. Other typical colours are white and green, with frequent frames of round turquoise pearls. Also from her hand are enamel paintings en plein combined with cloisonne frames. Maria Semyonova inherited her father's factory after his death in 1896. She owned and managed the company but she was not a registered skilled master. Therefore she hasn't made a single thing only maintained the right to use an official maker's mark MC given by the guild. The objects marked with Maria's maker's mark are made by other skilled master working in the company. MC is more a logo/trade mark comparable with e.g. the Faberge mark.

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