Sought-after winner’s medal issued for the Athens 1906 Intercalated Olympics. Silver, 50 mm, 63 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 the left side, “Olympia”; the reverse bears a detailed view of the Acropolis of Athens topped by the Parthenon, with raised Greek characters to the upper and lower portion (translated), “International Olympic Games in Athens, 1906.” Stamped “Argent” on the edge.
The winner’s medals for the 1906 Athens Games share the same design as the Athens Olympics from 1896, with the ceremony year serving as the lone distinction. The 1906 Athens Games were considered the Olympics by the press and participants, which included 854 athletes from twenty countries, but they were never officially sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee. A rare and beautiful winner’s medal from the unofficial fourth Olympic Games.
