Winner’s medal issued for the Athens 1896 Summer 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 case lined in deep red 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. This is the only example of an 1896 winner's medal with the original case that we have offered, and both the medal and box remain exceedingly well preserved. Representing the debut of one of the most sought-after prizes in the realm of sport, this is a marvelous specimen.
