Extraordinary archive of medals, trophies, and souvenirs from the collection of Dutch equestrian Johan Jacob Greter, highlighted by the silver medal that he won at the Berlin 1936 Olympics, plus his participation medal and participant's badge from the '36 Games. After performing in the Olympics in Nazi Germany, Greter would go on to distinguish himself in battle during World War II: he fought to defend his homeland against German aggression at the Grebbeberg on May 12, 1940, and was taken prisoner in 1942. He escaped by jumping off the train and reached England, where he joined the RAF. He received the Dutch Bronze Cross, awarded for acts of courage and leadership in the face of the enemy, in 1944 and 1947.
The three items from the Berlin 1936 Summer Olympics:
- Highly appealing winner’s medal issued for the Berlin 1936 Summer Olympics. Silver, 55 mm, 72 gm, by Giuseppe Cassioli. The front, inscribed, “XI. Olympiade, Berlin, 1936,” features a ‘Seated Victory’ with the Coliseum in the background; the reverse portrays a winner carried by jubilant athletes. Stamped on the edge, "B. H. Mayer, Pforzheim, 990." Greter and his horse Ernica won this silver medal as part of the Dutch show jumping team, after finishing sixth in the individual jumping competition.
- Participation medal issued for the Berlin 1936 Summer Olympics. Brown bronze, 70 mm, 114 gm, by Otto Placzek. The front depicts five athletes, representing the five continents, pulling the ropes of the Olympic bell, with raised text, "XI Olympiade, Berlin, 1936"; the reverse bears the Olympic bell embossed with the German eagle gripping the Olympic rings within five concentric circles, and the name of the designer on the outer edge.
- Participant's badge issued for the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics. Bronze, 41 mm x 46 mm, manufactured by Lauer, featuring the Olympic rings over the Brandenburg Gate. The front is engraved "XL Olympiade Berlin 1936, 3330." Missing its ribbon.
Other items include: a silver windmill "Landenpris [Country Prize]" trophy from the 1934 "Concours Hippique International [International Horse Show]" held in Amsterdam; four Dutch National Olympic Committee/Dutch Sports Federation (NOC/NSF) 'Olympic Day' medals from 1933, 1934, 1935, and 1936; a 1936 "Concours Hippique International [International Horse Show]" medal with King Leopold of Belgium on the front; a 1936 "Olympische Proef [Olympic Trial]" first-place medal from 1936, engraved with the name of his horse, "Trixie," issued by the Koninklijke Militaire Sportvereniging [Dutch Royal Military Sports Club]; a 1936 "Utrecht" medal plaque from an equestrian contest in the Netherlands; a zinc plaque portraying a rider in medieval armor, dedicated by the Aachen-Laurensberger Racing Club to the riders at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin and at the international equestrian tournament in Bad Aachen; an attractive silver-tone metal laurel wreath sculpture, with each leaf engraved with the name of one of Greter's horses and an associated competition (with one cluster, and one single leaf detached from the wire frame); and a vintage photograph of Greter on a leaping horse, displayed in a leather frame.
