Documentary Presented By Russia Today -

[Alixz]

http://www.angelfire.com/pa/ImperialRussian/videos/NII02.html

Paul Gilbert who is an author and publisher of many works on the Romanovs also sends email to many of us from his Royal Russia site.

Recently, he sent the above link. It shows a new documentary presented by Russia Today.

I watched the whole thing, it is about 22 minutes long, and it is interesting.  However, one of the people speaking in it has a Khodynka Cup that he shows us as one of the caused of the Khodynka Field massacre on at the Coronation of Nicholas and Alexandra in 1896.

Later, the film returns to this person and he is talking about other things, but I noticed that the Khodynka Cup is on his desk and he is using it as a - PENCIL HOLDER!

Yikes!!

[aleksandr pavlovich]

http://www.angelfire.com/pa/ImperialRussian/videos/NII02.html

Paul Gilbert who is an author and publisher of many works on the Romanovs also sends email to many of us from his Royal Russia site.

Recently, he sent the above link. It shows a new documentary presented by Russia Today.

I watched the whole thing, it is about 22 minutes long, and it is interesting.  However, one of the people speaking in it has a Khodynka Cup that he shows us as one of the caused of the Khodynka Field massacre on at the Coronation of Nicholas and Alexandra in 1896.

Later, the film returns to this person and he is talking about other things, but I noticed that the Khodynka Cup is on his desk and he is using it as a - PENCIL HOLDER!

Yikes!!

     Hello, "Alixz" !  I watched the same documentary and also noticed his reference to, and use of, the so-called "Cup of Sorrows."  I owned one for many years and eventually gave it to my sister who also has a growing Russian collection.  They really are not terribly rare/expensive, though condition dictates considerably to the price. I am certain that thousands were made, and it would be an exceptional (and pricey) rarity, to have a thoroughly documented one that WAS actually on the field, rather than "over-runs", left-overs, etc. in a warehouse, storage, etc.  I have even seen some that were crushed, etc.,  having been said to have been damaged in the crush of the crowd------who knows?  It should be noted, however, that clever "aged" fakes do also appear on the market. Reproductions, clearly marked, are available. I believe that this has been discussed on the Forum before. The best advice to always buy from a trusted dealer.
    There is another, MUCH rarer, Coronation Cup that was given away as well.  While the cup which you mention is metal/tiin-enameled, the cup to which I have just referred is glazed CERAMIC, thus more easily prone to damages, with far fewer remaining somewhat pristine.  They came in seven solid colors, with appropriate emblems/inscriptions in relief. Years earlier I purchased one (blue) and was given another (white) as a present.  Both have chips and some hairline cracks. This variety of cup was selected to be in the well-received "Nicholas and Alexandra" Exhibition that was shown in only four sites in the USA a number of years ago.
    Finally, (on the topic of cups)  there ware MANY, MANY other "souvenirs" made for the occasion.  I recall seeing a smaller, tin cup with lithographed-styled colored portraits of the Emperor/Empress/State Arms, etc., and I believe that it was of French origin.       Regards,   AP.

[Alixz]

I never thought about over-runs and cups that might have never made it out of the warehouse. No one has ever mentioned that there was a difference.

I did notice that the one that the person uses in the video is very rusty and the paint is chipped badly.

I wonder if there are any out there with the provenance to prove that the cups was actually on Khodynka Field in May of 1896?

[aleksandr pavlovich]

I never thought about over-runs and cups that might have never made it out of the warehouse. No one has ever mentioned that there was a difference.

I did notice that the one that the person uses in the video is very rusty and the paint is chipped badly.

I wonder if there are any out there with the provenance to prove that the cups was actually on Khodynka Field in May of 1896?

 "Alixz," thanks for your thoughts!  I do believe that the cup the gentleman had in the documentary was a genuine one (from the Field or not)-----I feel certain that he would have recognized a genuine one.  It COULD be virtually impossible to certify the ownership of a cup actually being from the field, unless there was thoroughly documented "family history," etc. (but then we KNOW how accurate such provenances are to prove!).  
  I have seen (investigative ?) photographs (close-ups) of such damaged/crushed cups from the stampede of the crowds, that were labeled as coming from the site/time...........but who knows? Photos HAVE been taken of the area in the near aftermath, but spotting a small damaged item such as a cup among/near the laid-out bodies would be very difficult, I think.
  Do understand, I believe CERTAINLY that there are cups that left the Field in the hands of the "original owners" and are still around today. Having definite documentation is the thing......otherwise it becomes an oft-repeated tradition of "This was SAID to have been.....", or worse yet, an outright enhancing lie.  As to the one that I owned, I am convinced it was genuine, but there is no way that I could have proven that it was EVER on the Field as a commemorative momento.      
  Please excuse the somewhat hurried reply, as I am on my way out of the door to an appointment!   Best regards to you and yours for thr Holiday Season,    AP.