A rare historical artifact has appeared at one of the upcoming auctions in Russia — the original emblem of the legendary pre-revolutionary car "Russo-Balt". The starting price of the lot is set at 100,000 rubles, and the auction is scheduled for January 16, 2026. The seller claims that the item is genuine and has preserved traces of its historical past.
According to the description, the diameter of the emblem is 65 mm. It shows remnants of the original solder, with which it was attached to the car body, as well as fragments of the original gilding and microscopic particles of enamel. Interestingly, the find was made on the territory of one of the forts of the Kronstadt fortress in the Leningrad region — a place closely associated with the military and industrial history of the Russian Empire.
The history of the "Russo-Balt" brand dates back to 1869, when the Russian-Baltic Wagon Factory (RBVZ) was founded in Riga. The first chief designer was the Swiss Julien Potter, and the Belgian model "Fondeau" was taken as the basis for the first car. The most mass-produced car of the factory was a 4.25-meter long car with a maximum speed of 70 km/h — about 350 copies were produced in total. These cars were actively used both in the tsarist army and in sports competitions of that time.
As a reminder, interest in "Russo-Balt" has increased again in recent years: previously in Perm, a modern concept car under this brand was spotted, made in a futuristic style and resembling the Tesla Cybertruck, but with dimensions comparable to the "GAZelle".