This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/15/2019
Offered here is an important Olympic torch from the historic 1936 Summer Games held in Berlin when Germany was under Nazi rule. This was the first time the Olympic torch relay was held, with the flame traveling from Olympia, Greece, through Europe and ultimately arriving at Olympic stadium in Berlin after 12 days and 3,187 km. African-American Jesse Owens was the star of these Games, winning four gold medals for USA and showing the world just how wrong Hitler's ideology of a superior white race really was.
Designed by Walter Lemcke and Peter Wolf and manufactured by Friedrich Krupp AG, the beautifully crafted torch features an engraving of the 11 major cities traveled that covers the length of the shaft as well as the five interlocking Olympic rings held in the talons of the German coat of arms. It stands 10.5 inches (26.5 cm) tall, with the circular top section measuring 6 inches (15 cm) in diameter. The circular top has a 4 cm hole where the cylinder component allowing it to be lit would attach. Well-preserved with evidence of use inside the burner hole in the form of wicker remnants.