Extremely desirable winner's medal issued for the Melbourne 1956 Summer Olympics. Silver, 51 mm, 70 gm, by Giuseppe Cassioli; manufactured by K. G. Luke. The front, inscribed, "XVIth Olympiad, Melbourne, 1956," features a 'Seated Victory' with the Colosseum in the background; the reverse portrays a winner with a palm branch being carried by jubilant athletes. Includes the original white plastic case by K. G. Luke/Casecraft, which bears a cracked front. This prize medal design had been adopted from the Amsterdam 1928 Summer Games, with the only alteration for 1956 being a change in wording to reflect the year and location. There were 280 of these gold medals produced, with 273 of them being awarded. A scarce and highly attractive second-place medal from the first Olympiad to be staged in the Southern Hemisphere.
