2017-06-28 Wed

There is no doubt that Olympic medals are highly priced by their recipients and they are also pursued by collectors. However, the most desired individual medals are those from the 1904 Summer Games in St. Louis.

The octagonal 40-millimeter copper official’s participation medal by Dieges & Clust from New York is worth an estimate of $20,000 at the RR Auction.

The obverse depicts a nude athlete running, mid-stride, with a laurel branch in his hand. The reverse is inscribed with the text “1803, Universal Exposition Commemorating the Olympic Games, 1904, Physical Culture Department, Frederick J. V. Skiff, Director of Exhibits,”.

The auction lot description differed a little as the one issued only to officials was topped with a loop and the medal was suspended from a colourful ribbon while those given to athletes were somewhat identical, but lacked the loop and instead had an entirely plain edge.

Among other interesting Olympic medals is a gilt silver first-place winner’s medal from the 1920 Antwerp Games that has an estimate of $12,000+.

The medal comes in a red leather presentation case, gilt printed on the lid.

The medal’s obverse showcases a winning athlete holding a laurel wreath and plam branch, it is accompanied with a statue of Renommee in the background. The medal is designed by Josue Dupon.

The reverse depicts the Brabo fountain above the Antwerp shield, with suggestions of a cathedral and cityscape in the background.

Twenty-nine nations were present at the VII Olympiad in Antwerp, Belgium. But Hungary, Germany, Austria, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire were banned from participating due to their involvement in the World War I and the cancelation of the 1916 Summer Games scheduled for Berlin.

Among the fallouts from the 1920 Games were financial difficulties for the Games.

The first place finishers were awarded medals but to cut down on cost, less amount of gold was used. The result was the thin gold plating rubbed off rather quickly, leaving the medals almost totally silver.

The medal offered in the RR Auction sale still retains some of the gold on the edge and in recessed areas of the designs.

The Amherst, N.H., firm will assess a buyer’s fee of 22.5 percent, added to the final hammer price of each lot won.