A Bulgarian royal presentation cigarette case - image-1

Lot 251 Dα

A Bulgarian royal presentation cigarette case

Auction 1127 - overview Berlin
06.04.2019, 11:00 - The Prussian Sale
Estimate: 4.000 € - 6.000 €
Result: 5.000 € (incl. premium)
Artist Alert
Print page
Watchlist

A Bulgarian royal presentation cigarette case

Rectangular 14k gold box with hinged lids over two compartments for cigarettes and matches. An applique to the lid with the cyrillic initials of Tsar Ferdinand of Bulgaria picked out in white, red, and green enamel. The curved clasp set with a sapphire cabochon (ca. 5.5 x 3.7 mm). With the original silk cord in the national colours of Bulgaria. Stamped: German "reichsstempelung" with fineness 585, "GB FRIEDLÄNDER BERLIN". Hand-engraved: 376565. Minor signs of wear and scratches, damage to the silk cord. 9.3 x 6 x 1.3 cm. Total weight 170.4 g.
Gebrüder Friedländer, Berlin, circa 1908.

Ferdinand Karl Leopold Maria of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (Vienna 1861 - Coburg 1948) became Prince Regent of Bulgaria in 1887 and King in 1896. At the time, the country was an independent principality within the Ottoman Empire. However, driven by numerous political crises in the Balkans, Ferdinand proclaimed full independence for the country in 1908, taking the title "Tsar". In World War I he collaborated with Germany and Austria, but following his defeat in 1918 he was forced to abdicate in favour of his son Boris. He went into exile in Coburg, where he made a name for himself as an ornithologist and botanist.