BOSTON —A silver first-place winner’s medal from the 1896 Athens Olympic Games sold for $103,713 in RR Auction’s Olympics Auction, which realized $1,082,286 overall.
The medal dates to the inaugural modern Olympic Games, where first-place finishers received silver rather than gold. Designed by Jules Clement Chaplain, the 50 mm medal depicts Zeus holding Nike, the goddess of Victory, on the obverse. The reverse features the Acropolis of Athens topped by the Parthenon, with raised Greek lettering referencing the International Olympic Games in Athens, 1896. The edge bears the stamp “Argent.” The medal was offered with its original circular red leather presentation case lined in navy blue velvet.
The award structure at the 1896 Games differed from modern conventions. Silver medals were presented for first place and bronze medals for second place. No third-place medals were awarded. Surviving examples from the Athens Games are closely tied to the origins of the modern Olympic movement and are seldom encountered at public auction.
“First-place medals from the 1896 Athens Games are among the most coveted items in Olympic collecting,” said Bobby Eaton, Olympic specialist at RR Auction. “Collectors understand what those Games represent. The whole modern Olympic movement started there, and a result like this proves it.”
Among other items in the sale:
• Moscow 1980 Summer Olympics ‘Stadium’ Torch — $128,066
• Oslo 1952 Winter Olympics gold winner’s medal for ice hockey — $50,001
• Lake Placid 1932 Winter Olympics bronze winner’s medal for speed skating — $45,384
• Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics Torch — $34,879
• Paris 2024 Summer Olympics bronze winner’s medal for women’s canoeing — $33,753
• Paris 2024 Summer Olympics Torch — $27,468
• Cortina 1956 Winter Olympics Torch — $26,173
• Calgary 1988 Winter Olympics Torch and Mother Flame Lamp — $25,469
The Olympics Auction opened Jan. 20 and closed Feb. 19.
Full results and images are available at rrauction.com.
Media Contact:
Mike Graff
Public Relations – RR Auction
203-807-2575
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