Extremely rare winner's medal issued for a fencing event at the Tokyo 1964 Summer Olympics. Gilt silver, 63 mm, 102 gm, by Toshikaka Koshiba (based on the classic design of Giuseppe Cassioli); manufactured by the Japanese Mint. The front is inscribed, "XVII Olimpiad Tokyo 1964, Fencing," and features a 'Seated Victory' with the Colosseum in the background; the reverse depicts a victorious athlete being carried by several jubilant athletes. The medal is attached to its original ribbon with Olympic colors, and includes a second-place black wooden presentation case and scarce gold medal winner’s pin, marked on the reverse, “6917,” with accompanying black vinyl presentation pouch made by Bertoni of Milan.
The Games of the XVIII Olympiad featured eight fencing events—six for men and two for men—which resulted in the awarding of a total of 24 gold medals. Although the Soviet Union led the medal tally with six, the athletes and national teams of Hungary were awarded the most gold medals with four, with the women winning both Individual and Team Foil competitions. Highlighted by its luminous gold medal, this rare complete awards package marks the premiere instance in which we’ve offered a winner’s medal from the first Olympics held in Asia. From The Mason Dinehart Collection.
