Winner’s medal issued for the Amsterdam 1928 Summer Olympics. Gilt silver, 55 mm, 68 gm, by Giuseppe Cassioli; manufactured by the Dutch State Mint of Utrecht, Netherlands. The front, inscribed, “IXe Olympiade, Amsterdam, 1928,” features a ‘Seated Victory’ with the Colosseum in the background; the reverse portrays a winner carried by jubilant athletes. The edge bears a stamped hallmark. The front bears slight fading to gilt, and a slight ding to the upper edge. Accompanied by two sterling silver presentation cups, 6˝ and 2.5˝ in height, with engraved inscriptions dated to 1926 and 1927; the taller cup ostensibly derives from the 1927 Swedish Athletics Championships, which occurred on July 31, 1927.
There were 254 of these gold medals produced, of which 110 were awarded to first-place winners in the 109 sporting events, an unequal number given that a first-place tie in the lightweight category of weightlifting resulted in two gold medals. Additionally, nine gold medals were also awarded to first-place winners of the 13 events of the art competitions, again an unequal number due to some events and categories that did not present medals.
This beautiful top prize medal represents an Olympiad noted for its legendary performances and the start of several enduring Olympic traditions—the Amsterdam Games were the first to bear the name ‘Summer Olympic Games’ and the very first to feature a fixed schedule of 16 days; Germany returned to competition after a 16-year ban; Tarzan actor Johnny Weissmuller won two gold medals in swimming; Finnish runner Paavo Nurmi won his ninth, and final, gold medal; and Mikio Oda of Japan became the first gold medalist from an Asian country after he won the triple jump event.
