You have to be lucky! By chance, one of the eight missing Fabergé eggs was recovered in a flea market. A lucky buyer from the Midwest of the USA bought the small golden artefact only because of its gold weight. He intended to sell it on to make some quick money, but things turned out a little differently than he planned…
Fabergé Found by Chance
The metal dealer, who would like to remain anonymous, couldn’t find anybody to buy his flea market find – for which he himself paid nearly 10,000 Euros. He decided to take to the internet to find out more about his discover, he searched simply ‘egg‘ and the engraved inscription ‘Vacheron Constantin’ and stumbled upon jewellery expert Kieran Mc Carthy.
Kieran could hardly contain his excitement when he was sent photos of the lost treasure, he had never dreamed something like this could happen to him. He went straight to the Midwest to examine the piece for himself. There was no doubt that it was a genuine Fabergé egg, which was manufactured in 1887 in the famous St. Petersburg goldsmith’s workshop on behalf of the Russian Tsars.
Carl Fabergé, designer of the Fabergé Eggs
Fabergé eggs – the epitome of luxury
Between 1885 and 1917, 50 ornately decorated pieces of the highest goldsmithing art were created. In addition to these 50, there are a number of other eggs commissioned by private individuals therefore Fabergé eggs are also distinguished by “imperial” and “non-imperial”. In the Russian Revolution many eggs disappeared, some were taken abroad, others seized and later sold. There are still seven eggs that are completely lost after this most recent discover.
Easter is an important feast for the Orthodox Church and the custom of giving away eggs on the Day of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ has existed since the 17th century. In 1885, Czar Alexander III followed this custom in an extremely luxurious way. He gifted a treasure called ‘The Hens Egg’ to the Tsarina, Maria Feodorovna. Each of these eggs created by Fabergé contains a special surprise inside, in the Hens Eggs there is a yolk of gold, inside which is a hen.
Danish Jubilee Fabergé Egg
The “Third Imperial Egg”
The egg, which was found in the flea market, dates back to 1887. It measures 8.2 cm high, on a base of 3 feet and is the third in the series of the 50 imperial Fabergé eggs. If you press the Diamonds on the front, the egg folds open and a clock comes to the fore. The clock was made by the Swiss watchmaker “Vacherin Constantin” and is decorated with Sapphires and Diamonds.
This egg is not as opulent as some of its counterparts but is simple and timeless. It was considered lost since 1922, it was auctioned in the 60’s but nobody recognised the significance or value of the item.
End of the story
Would you like to know how the story ends? Well, the lucky bargain hunter from the Midwest sold the egg for about 24 million euros. Further details are not known as the buyer elected to remain anonymous.
An abrupt end to a story that began so nicely. We can only hope for another random find. Besides, this Sunday I’m definitely going past a flea market… there are still 7 missing eggs!
