ALMAZNYY FOND SSSR [THE DIAMOND FUND OF THE USSR] Almaznyy fond SSSR ['The USSR Diamond Fund'] ; edited by academician A. Fersman : [in 4 issues]. Moscow: People's Commissariat for Finance of the USSR, 1924-1925. Number 1 (1924) - 38 p., 25 plates ; Number 2 (1925) - 30 p., 25 plates ; Number 3 (1925) - 46 p., 25 plates ; Number 4 (1925, last) - 38 p., 25 plates ; 40 × 30 cm. Circulation: issue 1 - 350 copies; issues 2 to 4 - 300 copies. Phototype plates, full-size images. Edited under the direction of Academician A. Fersman, with the participation of S.M. Troynitskiy (Director of the Hermitage), S.K. Bogoyavlenskiy (Director of the Moscow Archives of Foreign Affairs), D.V. Yuferov (Researcher, Department of Precious Stones, Russian Academy of Sciences), jewellers A.K. Fabergé, A.F. Kotler, B.E. Maseev, A.K. Bok, A.M. Frants, and the photographer I.N. Aleksandrov, under the general supervision of the Monetary Administration of the People's Commissariat for Finance of the USSR. Four publisher's boards. Good condition. Slight wear to bindings, tears and missing tissue paper endpapers, edges of some endpapers worn, several endpapers missing. Stamps, labels and marks of the Free Library of Philadelphia; bookplate 'The Free Library of Philadelphia / Simon Gratz Fund'on endpapers. From among the jewels transferred to the Moscow Kremlin for safekeeping during the First World War, a selection of exceptional works of jewellery was made and entrusted to the State Treasury (Gokhran). In 1922, these objects, forming the 'Diamond Fund', were transferred from the Kremlin to the Gokhran building. A commission chaired by academician A.E. Fersman was set up to catalogue the collection, resulting in this four-volume publication issued by the USSR People's Commissariat for Finance. Provenance : American auction Simon Gratz (1840-1925), an American lawyer and philanthropist from Philadelphia, was one of the city's most prominent Jewish collectors. His collection included some 175,000 autographs and manuscripts, as well as engravings, lithographs and books. His collecting interests extended far beyond American history, including many foreign language items, and he maintained contacts with collectors around the world. He worked closely with the Pennsylvania Historical Society, to which he donated his entire collection in 1917. At the buyer's request, we would be happy to provide a general condition report on the lot described above. However, as we are not professional conservators or restorers, we strongly advise prospective buyers to carry out their own inspection or consult a specialist of their choice for a full assessment of the condition of the lot. Descriptions of items provided in the catalogue or by correspondence are for guidance only and should not be relied upon as a definitive assessment. NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD 'AS IS' IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF SALE PUBLISHED IN THE CATALOGUE.