Offered here is an official 1972 Sapporo Winter Olympic Games torch, one of the rarest torches in the market. Designed by Munemichi Yanagi and manufactured by Nippon Koki, the rather simplistic look features a cast-blackened aluminum alloy bowl (8¼” tall, 5” in diameter) with a long stainless steel flame tube (21¾ ” long). The 1972 Sapporo Olympic emblem with “SAPPORO 72” appears on both the bowl and tube at the bottom ends. When inserted into the bowl, the tube’s emblem is hidden inside the bowl and the torch measures 25½” inches tall overall. At the top of the tube is a cap to cover where the Olympic flame would be lit.
This particular torch is unused and comes in pristine condition—truly one of, if not, the finest example ever offered. The bowl is practically spotless with only very light wear from handling and display. The Olympic emblem etched near the bottom displays beautifully; the “YANAGI” and “NIKKEI” engravings on underside are very legible as well. The flame tube shows minor surface wear, but is otherwise smooth and perfectly symmetrical—the lettering and emblem showing no signs of fading.
The Olympic flame was lit in Olympia, Greece, and flown to Okinawa for the relay across Japan, which lasted 38 days and covered just under 19,000 km. There were an estimated 16,300 torchbearers and almost all of them shared a torch. It has been well documented that only around 100 of these torches exist (used or unused), making this one a remarkable find for one’s collection. For reference, we sold a used example in our 2017 Spring Premier Auction for $29,299.