London 1908 Olympics Gold Medal Awarded for Wrestling Among
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
From: Mike Graff [email protected] Subject: London 1908 Olympics Gold Medal awarded for wrestling among Olympic Memorabilia to go under the hammer Date: July 22, 2020 at 4:22 PM To: Lanny Bryant [email protected] Lanny, Please let me know if you need any additional assistance. The Olympic Memorabilia auction from RR Auction will conclude July 23. For more information, go to www.rrauction.com. Regards, Mike Graff 203/807-2575 Item #3014 London 1908 Olympics Gold Winner's Medal Now At: USD $20,000, (Estimate: USD $25,000+) London 1908 Olympics Gold Winner's Medal among Olympic Memorabilia to go under the hammer Rare winner's medal issued for wrestling at the London 1908 Olympics will be auctioned by Boston-based RR Auction. This medal was awarded to 22-year-old British wrestler Stanley Bacon, who finished first in the men's freestyle middleweight bracket after ousting fellow countryman George de Relwyskow by decision in the final match. He also competed in the men's Greco-Roman middleweight competition but was defeated in the first round by eventual silver medalist Mauritz Andersson of Sweden. Bacon rounded out his Olympic career by wrestling at the 1912 Games in Sweden and the 1920 Games in Antwerp, ultimately losing in the second round on both occasions. Designed by Bertram Mackennal, Birmingham, manufactured by Vaughton & Sons, England, . Gold, 33.5 mm, 25 gm, The front, inscribed, "Olympic Games, London 1908," features a victorious athlete being crowned with a laurel wreath by two seated females; the reverse depicts St. George, the patron saint of England, slaying a dragon as a goddess looks on. The rim is engraved with the name and winner of the event, "Winner Middle Wrestling, (C AS C), S. V. Bacon." The medal is accompanied by its attractive original red leather presentation case, with the top engraved in gilt with the event, two vintage matte-finish 3.5 x 5.5 photos of Bacon, one of him as a muscular 16-year-old and the other of him in his military uniform, and a typed letter conveying congratulations from a "Mr. Buxton" on Bacon's "brilliant achievement in the Wrestling Competition at the Olympic Games," dated July 29, 1908. Solid gold medals were awarded at only four Games—1900, 1904, 1908, and 1912—making this an especially appealing early Olympic piece. Great Britain dominated the Games with a total of 146 medals, far eclipsing second and third place nations the United States (47) and Sweden (25); Great Britain's top finish in the Olympic medal table marks the only instance the country has done so in its history. (Estimate: USD $20,000+) "It's an exceptionally scarce winner's medal commemorating Great Britain's triumphant first outing as an Olympic host city," said Bobby Livingston, Executive VP at RR Auction. Also featured is a Tokyo 1964 Summer Olympics Gold Winner's Medal. In an athletic event that featured the world's biggest stars, weightlifter Leonid Zhabotinsky was larger than life. Representing the Soviet Union in the heavyweight division, Zhabotinsky squared off against his archrival and Soviet teammate, Yuri Vlasov, who was determined to defend his 1960 Rome gold medal. With one lift remaining in the competition's three events—the clean and press, the snatch, and the clean and jerk—Zhabotinsky delivered a mighty final effort, breaking his own clean and jerk record and securing his first gold medal. Four years later, at the 1968 Mexico City Games, he soundly defended his position and attained his second Olympic gold to become the first two-time Olympic champion in the men's heavyweight class. Prior to the victory, the 6-foot 3-inch and 365-pound Zhabotinsky stole the show when he marched in the opening parade: while all the other flag-bearers held their national banners with two hands, Zhabotinsky marched ahead effortlessly, gripping the 40-pound Soviet banner with only one. So inspiring was the Soviet strongman to budding weightlifters and bodybuilders the world over, that as a young Austrian teenager Arnold Schwarzenegger kept a photograph of Zhabotinsky taped over his bed. Highlighted by its luminous gold medal and prestigious, powerful recipient, this rare complete awards package marks only the second time we've offered a winner's medal from the first Olympics held in Asia. The Olympic medal; Gilt silver, 63 mm, Highlighted by its luminous gold medal and prestigious, powerful recipient, this rare complete awards package marks only the second time we've offered a winner's medal from the first Olympics held in Asia.102 gm, by Toshikaka Koshiba (based on the classic design of Giuseppe Cassioli); manufactured by the Japanese Mint. The front is inscribed, "XVII Olimpiad Tokyo 1964, Weight-Lifting," and features a 'Seated Victory' with the Colosseum in the background; the reverse depicts a victorious athlete being carried by several jubilant athletes. The medal is attached to its original ribbon with Olympic colors. (Estimate: $20,000+) Among other Olympic Winners Medals: Los Angeles 1984 Summer Olympics Gold Winner's Medal. Winner's medal issued for the Los Angeles 1984 Summer Olympics. Gilt silver, 63.5 mm, 142.5 gm, by Dugald Stermer, Indianapolis. The front, inscribed, "XXIII Olympiad, Los Angeles 1984," features a 'Seated Victory' with the Colosseum in the background; the reverse portrays a victorious athlete being carried by a jubilant crowd. The edge is inscribed with the name of the event, "Wrestling, Greco Roman, 100 kg." Complete with original magenta, vermillion, and yellow ribbon, which is separated at the seam. Exhibits some rubbing to the gilt on the edge. Only 478 of these gold medals were produced for the LA Games. A scarce, attractive medal from this memorable USA-hosted Olympiad. (Estimate: $30,000+) Stockholm 1956 Summer Olympics Bronze Winner's Medal. Bronze winner's medal from 1956 Stockholm Games, one of only 12 awarded. Extremely rare winner's medal issued for the Stockholm 1956 Summer Olympics equestrian events. Bronze, 50 mm, 92 gm, by V. Falireus/John Sjosvard. The front depicts an ancient Greek horse and rider, inscribed with a Swedish legend, "XVI Olympiadens Ryttartavlingar, 1956, Stockholm." The reverse portrays the torch and Olympic rings, with "Jeux Olympiques" above, and the Olympic motto below, "Citius, Altius, Fortius." Stamped on the edge, "Lagerstrom / Mjolby." Due to Australian agricultural quarantine regulations, the equestrian events of Melbourne's XVI Olympiad were held five months earlier in Stockholm, Sweden, making the 1956 Summer Games the second Olympics not to be held entirely in one country; the 1920 Olympics, which Antwerp, Belgium co-hosted with Amsterdam and Ostend, were the first. Given the low number of participants in the equestrian events—158 riders competed in six events—any Stockholm medals remain rare and highly sought-after. In total, only twelve of these Stockholm bronze winner's medals were awarded, making it an exceptionally rare Olympic medal. (Estimate: $25,000+) Calgary 1988 Winter Olympics Gold Winner's Medal. Exceptionally rare winner's medal issued for the Calgary 1988 Winter Olympics. Gilt silver, 69 mm, 198 gm, by Peter Friedrich. The front depicts combined profiles of a laureated athlete and a First Nations indigenous person whose headdress is formed by winter sporting equipment; the reverse bears the stylized snowflake/maple leaf emblem of the Games and the Olympic rings at center, with surrounding raised bilingual text: "XVes Jeux Olympiques d' hiver, XV Olympic Games, Calgary 1988." The edge of the medal engraved in English and French with the name of the event: "Biathlon 4 x 7.5 KM Relay." The medal is suspended from its cyan, red, and blue ribbon, and is accompanied by its original blue velvet case. The three biathlon events of the Calgary Games were dominated by East and West Germany, Italy, and the Soviet Union, with the latter securing the most medals with four—the lone gold medal attained by the Soviet Union was in the 4 x 7.5 km relay team event, which featured the skiing and shooting prowess of Valeriy Medvedtsev, who had only days prior won silver medals in the individual and sprint biathlon events. A bona fide Olympic treasure from the first Canadian Winter Olympics. (Estimate: $20,000+) Albertville 1992 Winter Olympics Silver Winner's Medal. The silver-and-Lalique crystal winner's medal from the 1992 Winter Games. Entrancing winner's medal issued for the Albertville 1992 Winter Olympics. Silver and Lalique crystal glass, 92 mm, 175 gm, designed under the direction of Marie-Claude Lalique; manufactured by Lalique. The front features a crystal design of the Olympic rings over a mountainous valley, with border inscribed with Games emblem, laurel branch, and legend, "Albertville 92, XVI Jeux Olympiques D'Hver / XVI Olympic Winter Games"; the reverse features the etched side of the same mountain valley design with a plain border. The crystal bears some soft scuffing. Complete with its original silver ribbon with Olympic color stripes, and the attractive gray leatherette presentation case with velvet-lined interior. The 1992 Winter Olympics were the last competition to be staged in the same year as the Summer Olympics, and the first winter games since the end of the Cold War. An utterly unique and innovative second place prize that represents only the second winner's medal that we have offered from the historic XVI Winter Olympiad. (Estimate: $25,000+) Additional featured items: Oslo 1952 Winter Olympics Torch, The torch of the first Winter Olympics relay. Historically significant official 1952 Oslo Winter Olympics torch, constructed of a silver-colored brass and steel alloy, designed by Geir Grung and Adolf Thoresen. The oval-shaped top is engraved with large Olympic rings and a representation of the relay route from Morgedal to Oslo.