Stunning winner’s medal issued for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. Gilt silver, 101 mm, 553 gm, designed by Omer Arbel and Corrine Hunt, struck by the Royal Canadian Mint. The front features embossed Olympic rings against a unique stylized pattern inspired by pods of orca, or killer whales, a theme meant to emphasize the importance of community and teamwork; the reverse bears the Inukshuk emblem of the Vancouver Games, and is engraved in French and English, “XXI Olympic Winter Games,” and lists the sport as “Freestyle Skiing Men’s.” The medal’s organic and undulating structure alludes to the mountain regions of Canada. Complete with its blue-green ribbon embroidered with emblem, “Vancouver 2010,” and “With glowing hearts, des plus brillants exploits." Includes the attractive original winner’s medal pouch, comprised of heavy gray heathered wool felt with magnetic upper and lower lips.
Among the most beautiful and innovative of all Olympic medals, those created for the Vancouver 2010 Games feature Canadian aboriginal art and a unique undulating form, the first Olympic medal to have such a design. The medal is resistant to tarnishing, nicks, and scratches, and is among the heaviest in Olympic history, the result of each specimen being struck nine times as part of an exhaustive 30-step fabrication process. Additionally, each of the 615 medals created for the Vancouver Games feature a hand-cropped section of the artwork that ensures that no two medals are the same. An altogether rare and remarkably appealing winner’s medal from the most successful Olympiad in Canadian history—the host country led all nations in gold medals with a tally of 14. To our knowledge, the first time a Vancouver Winner’s Medal has been ever offered at public auction!
