This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 6/5/2022
Featured here is an Olympic silver medal from the 1968 Grenoble (France) Winter Games presented to a member of Austria's 4-man bobsled (or bobsleigh). Team Austria (2:17.48) finished just nine hundreths of a second behind the gold-medal winning Italian squad. The Swiss took bronze. These were the first Games that allowed East and West Germany to participate separately, and the first time the IOC ever ordered drug and gender testing of competitors. 37 nations participated with 1158 athletes across 35 events in just 5 sports. Norway won the most medals, the first time Russia did not lead the medal count since they began competing in the Winter Olympics in 1956.
The lovely 2nd place winner's silver medal measures 60 mm in diameter, 3.5 mm thick and weighs 115 grams (125g with ribbon). Designed by Roger Excoffon, the obverse has "GRENOBLE 1968" and the '68 Winter Games logo within the French legend (Xemes JEUX OLYMPIQUES D.HIVER"). The reverse has a lovely artistic rendition of a 4-man bobsled with "BOBSLEIGH" inscribed below. It marked the first time that a winner's medal featured a unique design and called out the sport. All winner's medals from the '68 Winter Games came with a multicolor ribbon. This one is all-original measuring 36" fully stretched, having come apart at the seam. The medal itself presents beautifully in VF condition (nearly EF if not for a front scratch) and comes in its original black presentation box emblazoned with the Grenoble Games emblem with a blue velvet interior. A total of 250 silver medals were struck at these Games, but only three others issued look exactly like this. How's that for scarcity!