A flea market discovery

They are currently showing a rerun of my former TV show (Antiques Roadshow German style) in German TV.  In one of the shows I discovered a Russian porcelain plate that was made 1895 in St.Petersburg  and was part of a porcelain service made for Tsar Nikolaus II., showing soldiers of different ranks in his army. I assessed its value at 30,000-40,000 EUR.

The artist who painted the soldiers and decorated the plate with the beautiful etched military motives on gold, signed the backside of the plate in cyrillic letters. This leads to the conclusion that the plate was already seen as a precious work of art by people at the time.

I will never forget the face of the owner who presented the plate when I told him the value. And he will probably never forget the look on my face when he told me for how much he bought it: 6 EUR on a school flee market!!!

So let the hunt begin!