Extremely desirable winner's medal issued for the Melbourne 1956 Summer Olympics. Silver, 51 mm, 67 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, with red "XVIth Olympiad" label on the cover, which exhibits chipping to the front lid panel. 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 silver medals produced, with 273 of them being awarded; the consignor notes that the recipient of this example was Croatian soccer star Ivan Šantek, who was a member of the silver medal–winning Yugoslavian national football team. After blowing out the competition in the quarter-finals (9-1 against the USA) and semi-finals (4-1 against India), the Yugoslavia lost 1-0 to the Soviet Union in the championship match.
Additionally includes the participation medal issued to Ivan Šantek for his role as part of the Yugoslavian national football team at the Melbourne 1956 Summer Olympics. Bronze, 63 mm, 105 gm, by Andor Meszaros. The front depicts the Olympic motto encircled by pairs of athletes following the march of a flag-bearer; the reverse bears the Melbourne coat of arms and Olympic rings, with raised text along the top, "Olympic Games Melbourne, 1956."
