LOT #80149 |
Current Bid: $26,000
1896 Athens Summer Olympics First Place Silver Medal....
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Description
Exceedingly rare top prize from very first Modern Games!
1896 Athens Summer Olympics First Place Silver Medal. The
first edition of the Modern Games was properly headquartered in the
city where the Olympics were born millennia earlier, the ancient
city of Athens, Greece. Only with the luxury of hindsight are we
able to understand just how important this fragile early edition
was, the first spark of an Olympic flame that burns more brightly
with every subsequent event. Fewer than 250 athletes participated
in the 1896 Athens Games, and here we encounter the key relic of
that inaugural modern Olympics. It's a true "Holy Grail" of the
challenging collecting subgenre, and one of the most significant
awards of any format to be offered by Heritage Sports.Gold hasn't always been the top prize--in the very first Games, silver went to the victorious athletes, with copper for runners-up (no third-place medals were issued). This one is particularly well-preserved, featuring a Jules-Clement Champlain design with a laurel-wreathed head of Zeus and winged Victory on obverse and a view of Acropolis and Parthenon between Olympic legend on verso. "Argent" edge stamping. Diameter 50 mm., weight 66 g. An important and nearly priceless relic of international sport.
We should note that an identical medal with considerably more handling wear than the subject specimen sold in a July 2021 auction for over $180,000.
Guide Value or Estimate: $100,000 - up.
Auction Info
2026 February 28 - March 1 Winter Platinum Night Sports Catalog Auction #50083 (go to Auction Home page)
Proxy Bidding Ends
February
28th
Saturday
10:00 pm CT
Auction Dates
Feb-Mar
28th-1st
Saturday-Sunday
Proxy Bidding Time Remaining
19 Days
12h 22m 5s
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 2
Lot Tracking Activity: 41
Page Views: 373
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
22% of the successful bid (minimum $29) per lot.
This lot is in: 1 -
Signature Internet Extended Bid Session - Extended Bidding - Platinum Session:
(Lots 80001-80155) - 10:00 PM Central Time, Saturday, February 28, 2026.
[Normal bidding closes and extended bidding begins at 10:00 PM Central Time the evening of the session. Details below.]
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Additional Location Info:
Heritage Auctions - Dallas
2801 W. Airport Freeway
Dallas, TX 75261
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