Dealer Demands Peter the Great Medal

MANHATTAN (CN) - A coin dealer claims a "rare Peter the Great Medal" that was stolen from him in 2002 turned up at an auction run by another dealer. Dmitry Markov Coins and Medals sued Dimitri Shtaerrman and DSE Collectibles in New York County Court, demanding the medal or $75,000.

Dmitry Markov says the medal was stolen from him on Aug. 8, 2002. He learned on Dec. 15, 2008 that DSE had put the medal up for auction, and on April 1, 2009, demanded it back.

DSE refused, Markov says, so he wants $75,000.

Markov is a dealer in ancient and medieval coins, with an extensive collection. An Internet search of Shtaerrman and DSE turned up nothing this morning.

Last year, the U.S. Ambassador to Russia returned a Peter the Great Medal to the Hermitage in St. Petersburg. That medal, which once belonged to Russia's last czar, was believed to have been one of about 200 items stolen from the Hermitage, which turned up missing during a 2006 inventory.

Peter the Great (1672-1725) turned Russia into a continental power.

Markov is represented by Jorge Sorote.

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