General
‘A rare crown jewel’: World’s first modern Olympic medal fetches €120,000 at auction
An Olympic medal described as a ‘rare crown jewel’ from the very first modern Games in Athens has sold for €120,000 at a keenly-watched auction in Denmark among collectors of sporting and cultural history.
An extraordinary piece of sporting and cultural history has sold at auction in Denmark.
A medal from the world’s first modern Olympic Games held in Athens in 1896 has fetched around €100,000 at a sale held by Bruun Rasmussen Arts Auctioneers.
The winner’s were awarded silver medals for finishing first while bronze medals were given to runners-up. The now-familiar gold medal was introduced only at later Olympic Games.
Engraved by renowned French artist Jules-Clément Chaplain, the medal is rich in classical symbolism.
“Such medals are exceptionally rare, and for collectors of Olympic memorabilia, this is nothing short of a crown jewel,” said Christian Grundtvig, Head of the Coins and Medals Department at Bruun Rasmussen.
The obverse features a laurel-crowned portrait of the Greek god Zeus, holding a globe topped by Nike, the goddess of victory, carrying an olive branch.
The reverse depicts the Acropolis with the Parthenon, accompanied by the Greek inscription “Διεθνείς Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες – Αθήναι 1896” (International Olympic Games – Athens 1896).
The first modern Olympics featured 241 athletes from 14 nations, competing in nine sports and 43 events.
Medals from the earliest Olympic Games are extremely rare, and examples of this significance rarely appear on the market.
However, the winner of this particular medal remains unknown.
