Worth its weight in gold
Published 03 June, 2009, 11:09
An 11-kilogram (24.2-pound) bar of gold given to the Russian city of St. Petersburg as a gift for its 300-year anniversary is set to go under the hammer.
The starting price of the gold bar is $360,000. The auction is scheduled for June 8 and will take place amid the framework of the St. Petersburg economic forum.
Local authorities decided to sell the costly gift to raise money for the restoration of the cathedral of St. Catherine in the town of Pushkin, better known as Tsarskoye Selo, a former residence of the imperial family.
The cathedral of St. Catherine was built in 1840, but was destroyed a hundred years later in WWII. It was created by established Russian architect Konstantin Ton, who made a name for himself as the designer of the Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow.
discuss it
