Winner’s medal from the first Olympic Games in Athens, 1896. Originally estimated at DKK 200,000–300,000, the legendary piece was bid up to DKK 900,000 / € 120,422 (excluding buyer’s premium) or DKK 1,152,000 / € 154.140 (including buyer’s premium).
World’s First Olympic Medal Sold for DKK 900,000 at Bruun Rasmussen
At today’s Online Auction hosted by the Danish auction house Bruun Rasmussen Arts Auctioneers, a unique piece of sporting history went under the hammer – a medal from the first modern Olympic Games held in Athens in 1896. The medal sold for three times its estimated value, attracting widespread interest from collectors across the globe.
“We are absolutely thrilled about today’s result. The Olympic medal represents a ‘unicorn’ among international collectors — a rare fusion of Olympic and cultural history. This is a piece of memorabilia of such extraordinary caliber that news of the sale has reached audiences worldwide. It is, without doubt, one of the most remarkable sales within the field of numismatics in the history of our auction house,” says Christian Grundtvig, Head of the Coins and Stamps Department at Bruun Rasmussen.
The first modern Olympic Games took place in Athens in April 1896, featuring 241 athletes from 14 nations. Denmark was among the participating countries, and Viggo Jensen became Denmark’s first Olympic champion in weightlifting. However, Bruun Rasmussen cannot confirm whether the medal sold today was paticularly awarded for his performance.
The medal was engraved by French artist Jules-Clément Chaplain. The obverse features a laureate head of the Greek god Zeus holding a globe, upon which the Goddess of Victory, Nike, stands with an olive branch. The reverse depicts the Acropolis rock with the Parthenon and the Greek inscription “Διεθνείς Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες – Αθήναι 1896,” referring to the International Olympic Games in Athens.
