Judge’s badge issued for ‘Basketball’ at the Berlin 1936 Summer Olympics. Silver-tone, 41 mm x 46 mm, 14 gm, manufactured by Lauer, featuring the Olympic rings over the Brandenburg Gate. The front is engraved "XL Olympiade Berlin 1936" and “Richter,” which translates to ‘Judge.’ The reverse is numbered “1470” and stamped with the maker’s mark. Complete with its original light green ribbon, which measures 76 mm in length and is marked “Basketball.”
A rare and sought-after badge from the historic Berlin Games, which saw the first appearance of the sport of basketball as an official Olympic medal event. Played between August 7th and 14th, the tourney featured 23 competing nations, a total that made basketball the largest tournament of the team sports (although Hungary and Spain later withdrew). The IOC and International Basketball Federation used the 1936 tournament to experiment with outdoor basketball. As such, the games took place on lawn and dirt tennis courts, which ultimately caused problems when the weather was adverse, especially during the final of the tournament. The United States won its first gold medal, while Canada and Mexico won silver and bronze, and the medals were awarded by James Naismith, the inventor of basketball.
