A Gift from the Czar
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Board Room, New York Stock Exchange |
“On June 21, 1904, the New York Stock Exchange was presented with a resplendent gift from the Imperial Russian Government: a stone and silver urn crafted by Carl Fabergé…” so begins the history of this approximately six foot tall gift on display in the Board Room of the NYSE. It is carved from red malachite, trimmed with silver and sits on a pedestal of green malachite. The urn was a token of appreciation from Tsar Nicholas II to this American financial institution “for its help in floating a $1 billion loan in 1902 to the Russian government, a large amount for its time”.
“Underwritten by a prestigious syndicate of investments banks including
J. P. Morgan & Co., it was a dramatic indication of the growing
importance of the New York financial markets…the bonds were finally
suspended from trading on the NYSE in 1921.”
(Discovered 12/06 - Courtesy of Susan Johnson.)
