This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 8/11/2018
This torch was used in the 1968 Summer Olympics relay that brought
the flame to Mexico City. There are five different variations, and this
is the 'Type A' version. The relay began on August
23, 1968, in Olympia, Greece, and retraced the route taken by
Christopher
Columbus to discover the New World, traveling through his birthplace in
Genoa as well as where he initially set
sail from Palos in Spain to the first land he reached in San
Salvador. In all, the flame traveled 13,620 km over 25
days through the hands of 2,778 torchbearers before arriving at Olympic
Stadium, where Norma Enriqueta Basilio de Sotelo of Mexico became the
first
woman to ever light the Olympic cauldron.
Constructed of silver aluminum with a wooden handle, the torch measures
nearly 21" in length and 4″ at its widest point. The upper metal ring
features a pattern of six doves. It shows moderate use and wear from the relay,
and the interior burner/holder has loosened over time.
An iconic memento from the Games that delivered perhaps the most
important Civil Rights demonstration in sports history: the famous Black
Power Salute by African-American 200m medalists Tommie Smith and John
Carlos.