Stunning winner’s medal issued for the Albertville 1992 Winter Olympics. Silver and Lalique crystal glass, 92 mm, 175 gm, designed under the direction of Marie-Claude Lalique; manufactured by Lalique. The front features a crystal design of the Olympic rings over a mountainous valley, with border inscribed with Games emblem, laurel branch, and legend, “Albertville 92, XVI Jeux Olympiques D’Hver / XVI Olympic Winter Games"; the reverse features the etched side of the same mountain valley design with a plain border. Complete with its original silver ribbon with Olympic color stripes, and the attractive gray leatherette presentation case with velvet-lined interior. The 1992 Winter Olympics were the last competition to be staged in the same year as the Summer Olympics, and the first winter games since the end of the Cold War.
The consignor notes that this winner’s medal belonged to a silver medalist in the Biathlon, which was held at the Les Saisies ski resort between February 11-20, 1992. The six Biathlon events were dominated by Germany and the Unified Team, who respectively amassed totals of seven and six winner’s medals. The Unified Team was a joint squad consisting of six of the fifteen former Soviet republics: Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Uzbekistan, and Armenia. The 1992 Winter Olympics were the last competition to be staged in the same year as the Summer Olympics, and the first winter games since the end of the Cold War. An immensely attractive, utterly unique, and innovative second-place prize that represents only the second winner’s medal we have offered from the historic XVI Winter Olympiad.
