1904 St. Louis Summer Olympics Judge's Badge - Only 14K Gold Version Known!...

Click the image to load the highest resolution version.

Sold on Aug 25, 2024 for:

Sign-in or Join (free & quick)

Get one of these:

Share this lot

Track Item Printable Auction Results

Sell One of These

Description

Auction Info

Guides & Info

Description

1904 St. Louis Summer Olympics Judge's Badge - Only 14K Gold Version Known! The St. Louis Olympic games were the third held in modern times, and the smallest games in history. Judges at the games received brass "Juror" pins. Few of these brass pins were made given the relatively small number of jurors for the contests. But what is offered here is far more rare, a solid 14K gold and jeweled "Juror" pin. It is the only such badge that we have seen to date, and may have been the only one made.

The badge was manufactured by Gorham U.S.A., and is enameled "Universal" "Exposition "St. Louis" "1904" "Juror", and contains four fleur-de-lis, the historic symbol of St. Louis. The pin is engraved on verso "Charles S. Aehle". Charles Speck Aehle was a jeweler in St. Louis with Whelan Aehle Hutchinson Jewelry Co. They exhibited at the 1904 St. Louis Louisiana Purchase Exposition, also known as the World's Fair, of which the Olympics were a part. In addition to being an exhibitor, Aehle was the President of Jury No. 5 according to The Book of St. Louisians, published 1912. It is not known what competitions Jury No. 5 oversaw.

The existence of this badge may be the result of one of two scenarios: Aehle, as a jeweler, may have had one pin made in solid gold for himself to wear as President of Jury No. 5. A second possibility is that gold versions of the "Juror" pins were given to the Presidents of each jury, with Aehle being the President of Jury No. 5, though this scenario does not explain why only one such gold pin has surfaced to date. A very attractive and early piece of Olympic memorabilia.