JAPANESE GOLD & GUN METAL CIGARETTE CASE

JAPANESE GOLD and GUN METAL CIGARETTE CASE
This is a Russian gunmetal and gold cigarette case with the name 'KERSHOW' in Latin gold inlay. It is likely that this case was presented to a Russian diplomat in Japan before the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905.
HALLMARKS: Hallmarked by Japanese mark.
CONDITION: Overall condition good, light signs of wear. For further information, please refer to the pictures.
PROVENANCE: 1. Property from the estate of S.Hadley, Fort Worth, Texas, USA, June 14, 2003; 2. Lakeland Antique Bazaar, Lakeland, FL, USA, Jun 10, 2022 (the winner will receive this information); 3. Our sale of this item adds another layer of provenance (please print this page). History of sale is very IMPORTANT for serious collection.
DIMENSIONS: 3 5/8 x 3 1/4 inches (93 x 82 mm). Weight: 76 grams.
ESTIMATED PRICE: $1,000 - $6,000 (significantly lower than today's market price). You have a GREAT CHANCE to purchase a rare item for your collection, and over the years, its price will only INCREASE.
HISTORY of SALES: A few years ago, Russian gun metal cigarette cases were sold on Live Auctioneers, Sotheby's and Christie's for $2,800 (2 years ago), $3,006 (7 years ago), $5,600 (9 years ago), and $7,600 (16 years ago) - please refer to the screenshots for details. Today, prices have significantly increased compared to those of 5-10 years ago.
WARRANTY: The buyer has 5 days to inspect items for originality, valued at up to $5,000, and 10 days for items valued at $5,000 or more. Items can be returned to the seller for a refund; please refer to the Terms for more details.
NO RESERVE: Most of the auctioned items have NO reserve price. Among the remaining items, there are reserve prices set at incredibly low levels, typically ranging from 30-40% of the low estimate price.
PAYMENT: Payment can be made with a Credit Card, Zelle, PayPal (for international bidders), Wire Transfer, Check, or Money Order. You can also suggest other methods of payment. Canadian winners can make payments to a Canadian Bank in CAD via Check, Money Order, Wire Transfer, or Interac e-Transfer.
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FREE SHIPPING: For item valued at $5,000 or more, domestic shipping is FREE. For other items, domestic shipping costs by registered mail range from $18.85 to $24.85 - much lower than in other places. Additionally, for XPress post shipping, the costs range from $48.85 to $68.85 (XPress post offers 100% safety; according to our experience, packages sent by XPress post have never been lost). There are NO pick-up fees, NO handling fees, and NO transportation fees. Combined shipping is available, and the shipping fee for each additional item is ONE DOLLAR.
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RUSSO-JAPANESE WAR: The Russo-Japanese War (1904-05) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and Korea. The major theatres of operations were the Liaodong Peninsula and Mukden in Southern Manchuria and the seas around Korea, Japan and the Yellow Sea. Russia sought a warm-water port on the Pacific Ocean for its navy and for maritime trade. Vladivostok was operational only during the summer, whereas Port Arthur, a naval base in Liaodong Province leased to Russia by China, was operational all year. Since the end of the First Sino-Japanese War in 1895, Japan feared Russian encroachment on its plans to create a sphere of influence in Korea and Manchuria. Russia had demonstrated an expansionist policy in the Siberian Far East from the reign of Ivan the Terrible in the 16th century. Seeing Russia as a rival, Japan offered to recognize Russian dominance in Manchuria in exchange for recognition of Korea as being within the Japanese sphere of influence. Russia refused and demanded Korea north of the 39th parallel to be a neutral buffer zone between Russia and Japan. The Japanese government perceived a Russian threat to its plans for expansion into Asia and chose to go to war. After negotiations broke down in 1904, the Japanese Navy opened hostilities by attacking the Russian Eastern Fleet at Port Arthur, China, in a surprise attack.

GUN METAL: Gun metal, also known as red brass in the United States, is a type of bronze; an alloy of copper, tin and zinc. Proportions vary but 88% copper, 8-10% tin, and 2-4% zinc is an approximation. Originally used chiefly for making guns, it has largely been replaced by steel for that purpose. Gunmetal casts and machines well, and resistant to corrosion from steam and salt water. It is used to make steam and hydraulic castings, valves, gears, statues and various small objects, such as buttons. Gun money, Irish late 17th-century emergency coins, contain gunmetal, as worn and scrapped guns were used to make them; but also many other metals, in particular brass and bronze, as people donated pots and pans and other metal objects. External doors and windows of offshore rock lighthouses are often made of gunmetal due to its corrosion resistant properties.
Condition Report: Used