Winner’s medal issued for the Athens 1896 Olympics. Bronze, 50 mm, 60 gm, by Jules Clement Chaplain. The front depicts a relief portrait of Zeus holding Nike, the goddess of Victory, in the palm of his hand, with text along left side, “Olympia”; the reverse bears a detailed view of the Acropolis of Athens topped by the Parthenon, with raised Greek characters to upper and lower portion (translated), “International Olympic Games in Athens, 1896.” Stamped “Bronze” on the edge. Complete with its original hinged leather case lined in deep navy velvet.
For the first Modern Olympics, first place champions were awarded silver medals, second place winners earned these bronze medals, and third place finishers went home empty-handed. It was not until 1904 that the traditional gold, silver, and bronze sequence was introduced. Winner's medals from the historic debut of the Olympic Games remain exceedingly rare, with just 150 bronze second-place prizes originally struck for the Games. Representing the debut of one of the most sought-after prizes in the realm of sport, this is a spectacular specimen.
