Addendum: Some additional information has been added to the description.
The 1994 FIFA World Cup was the first held on U.S. soil and came down to a memorable Final between two world soccer powers. On July 17 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA, Brazil and Italy played to a scoreless tie before Seleção prevailed on penalties (3-2) for their unprecedented fourth world title. Led by star midfielder Dunga (team captain) and the lethal striker combination of Romario and Bebeto, Brazil cruised through the group stage before winning close matches in the knockout rounds and sweating through a tight Final.
This 1994 World Cup Winner’s Gold Medal was awarded to the Technical Coordinator for the Brazil National Team. Only players, coaches and top staff members were issued these official winner's medals. Crafted by renowned Swiss minter Huguenin, it is the first example we have represented at auction. The obverse features a relief image of the modern World Cup trophy. The reverse has “FIFA - World Cup - USA – 1994” in raised lettering with the ever-important "Huguenin" and “585” [58.5% gold symbol for 14-karat gold] hallmarks. (We had a local jeweler perform an acid test on the lower rim and the result was closer to what would constitute the percentage for 10-karat gold.) The medal hangs from its original red, white and blue ribbon and presents in Very Fine condition with moderate surface wear and some tiny black spotting (not as noticeable with the naked eye). Diameter is 50 mm, width is 3-4 mm, and weight is 80 grams including the ribbon. These rarely come up for auction and demand a heavy premium among esteemed collectors.
A few of these medals have been sold in the past few years without the "Huguenin" hallmark on the reverse. We contacted Huguenin and received written confirmation that the Swiss company did in fact produce the winners' medals for both the 1990 and 1994 FIFA World Cup. Furthermore, we asked if they hallmarked the reverse and the response was, "At that time, it was allowed to emboss the manufacturers name (Huguenin), today it’s not allowed anymore." This is very important information as there have been three 1994 gold medal results in the past three years (each sold for over $44,800 by the same auction house) with no "Huguenin" hallmark. In addition to the medal itself, the ribbons in those sales do not seem to match the originals like this one. According to a rep from the FIFA Museum, "it is official FIFA World Football Museum policy not to provide valuations or authentications for external objects."
Includes LOA from Brazil Football Confederation (CBF) Technical Coordinator, who is also the nephew of former CBF President Ricardo Teixeira.