The premise
Where does royal blood go when it’s turned into gold?
Black Market Bolsheviks and The Tsar’s Golden Eggs investigates the fate of Romanov treasures after the Russian Revolution — how Soviet leader Lenin created Gokhran, a secret Moscow vault housing confiscated imperial wealth including gold, gems, and Fabergé eggs.
From forced appraisals and smuggling routes across European borders to the 1927 Christie’s auction that liquidated a dynasty’s heirlooms in public, this series traces where seized royal wealth actually went — and who profited from laundering it.
From Don Swann II
Episodes
Ep. 01
The Gokhran & The Bulletproof Diamonds
Series premiere examining how 18 pounds of imperial diamonds sewn into the Romanov family's clothing became seed capital for the Soviet state. Covers forced appraisals by Fabergé heirs and smuggling operations across European borders.
33 min
Ep. 02
Under the Hammer: The 1927 Christie's Sale
Documents the 1927 London auction where Christie's sold 124 lots of seized Romanov jewelry while exiled Russians witnessed their heritage liquidated. Investigates the Nuptial Crown's fate and dealers profiting from laundered royal artifacts.
32 min