ADDENDUM: The medallion was presented to Carl Shy after the Olympics upon his return home in honor of being an Olympic medalist.
The late Carl Shy was an accomplished basketball player who competed for the 1936 U.S. Men’s Olympic Team at the Berlin Summer Olympics. It was a monumental time as this was the very first U.S. Men’s basketball team ever assembled. Shy, a 27-year-old six-footer who previously played for UCLA, actually earned a place on the 14-man roster at the final tryouts for the team which were held at New York City's Madison Square Garden on March 4 and 5 by the American Olympic Committee. The U.S. team went on to win the gold medal by defeating five different countries, the last of which was Canada in the championship game, 19-8. This lot includes two important pieces from Shy’s personal collection: his original certificate for making the team and winner's medallion for helping the U.S. Olympic squad bring home the gold medal.
The certificate measures nine inches wide by seven inches high. Presented to Shy for making the team, it reads: “THIS CERTIFIES THAT Carl Shy Won 1st Place in the Basketball Event in the final try outs at New York, 4-5-36 Held by the American Olympic Committee to Select a Team to Represent the United States of America at the Games of the XI Olympiad, Berlin, Germany, 1936.” It includes the American Olympic Committee (AOC) logo at the top and includes machine-printed signatures from both AOC Secretary Frederick Rubien and AOC President Avery Brundage.
The second item is a coin-like medallion that was presented to Shy upon returning home from Germany as Olympic Champion. All U.S. Olympic medalists (gold, silver or bronze) received such medallions, which were engraved with their names prior to being issued. The alloy metal coin/medallion is 2" in diameter. The obverse has a central emblem with two figures, an eagle and a shield, with the inscription "PRESENTED BY - FIORELLO H. LA GUARDIA - MAYOR TO – CARL SHY - 1936 OLYMPIAN." The reverse is a hand holding up a laurel branch, so called the "Arm and Laurel" designed by renowned Hungarian-born sculptor and medallic artist Julio Kilenyi. It comes in VG-EX condition with its original blue presentation case.
Includes Letter of Authenticity from the Shy Family.