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Exceptionally rare official 1988 Calgary Olympics torch, comprised of aluminum with a maple handle, measuring 23.5˝ in length, emblazoned on the handle with pictograms of ten Winter Olympic sports. The top is inscribed, "XV Olympic Winter Games Calgary Alberta Canada 1988," and the ball at the bottom is engraved with the Olympic motto, "Citius, Altius, Fortius." This example is unused and retains its four original wicks above a canister. Also includes its original black carrying bag and stand, as well as one of the few miner's lamps, manufactured by Koehler, that was used during the torch relay to carry the "Mother Flame." The Mother Flame was originally lit at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens during the hand-over ceremony from the Greek leg of the torch relay to the Calgary Organizing Committee. The flame in this miner's lamp was used to transport and potentially re-light the flame during the cross-Canada relay, if the flame ever went out on one of the torches. A mere handful of Olympic Mother Flame Carriers exist from the relay and the only other confirmed example is housed in a Calgary gallery.
The torch was designed to resemble the Calgary Tower, an iconic landmark in the Canadian city. The torch relay was an enormous event, with approximately 6,500 torchbearers drawn from an application pool of over six million. After the lighting ceremony in Olympia, the flame was flown to Newfoundland and then traveled 18,000 km through Canada over 88 days. Unlike many relays, the torches were shared and thus only about one hundred and fifty were manufactured. These items come from the collection of one of the organizers of the 1988 Olympic torch relay and was with the relay for 60 of the 88 days it took place, running with many notable attendees including Ben Johnson and Canadian Olympic sprinter Angella Taylor-Issajenko. A choice example of the much sought-after Calgary torch, enhanced by the inclusion of its exceedingly rare associated Mother Flame Miner's Lamp.
