This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 1/21/2017
Presented here is an Olympic gold medal won at the 1980 Moscow Summer Games in Track & Field. 455 gold medals were minted (452 silver and 467 bronze) for the heavily boycotted 1980 Summer Olympics. A total of 65 countries did not participate, largely in protest to it being the first Olympiad hosted by a Communist regime. The medal is gold-plated made of gilt silver (as are all gold medals made after 1912), weighing 120 grams and measuring 60 mm in diameter.
The award medal was designed by Ilya Postol, a young sculptor from Moscow. The obverse bears the traditional Olympic symbol of victory Nike, Goddess of Victory, holding a laurel wreath. In the lower right-hand corner, a section of the Colosseum in Rome appears at the lower right; above is the inscription in Cyrillic, "Igry XXII Olimpiady Moskva 1980" in Russian (which translates to "Games of the XXII Olympiad Moscow 1980"). The reverse depicts a stylized Olympic Bowl with burning flames against the background of a stadium arena. The upper right has the insignia of the 1980 Moscow Olympics. The name of the sport in Cyrillic, "Legkaya Atletika" (Russian term for Track & Field) appears on the rim.
The medal comes fastened to its original ribbon bearing the official colors of the 1980 Moscow Summer Games. It also comes in its original red velvet presentation case emblazoned with the '80 Moscow Olympics logo. All of these elements, especially the fact that it was awarded to a track & field champion, add to the rarity of this Olympic piece of history. Overall, the medal presents in essentially Mint condition.
Includes Letter of Authenticity from renowned Olympic memorabilia expert, Ingrid O'Neil.