Scarce fundraising medal for the canceled Helsinki 1940 Summer Olympics. Gilt tombac, 38 mm, 13 gm, by Ilmari Sysimetsä. The front depicts the Helsinki Olympic Stadium and raised text, “XII Olympia, Helsinki 1940”; the reverse features a nude torchbearer against the globe, with raised text above, “XII Olympia 1940 Helsingfors.” These uncommon medals were struck November 30, 1939, and, after the war, were sold for the benefit of the Viipuri district of the Finnish Gymnastics and Sports Federation.
