The Games of the XVI Olympiad Gold Medal
Melbourne 1956
Gilt silver
Estimate $60,000 – $80,000
Awarded for the 400m men's freestyle swimming final race held on 4 December 1956.
From 1928 to 1968, the medals for the Summer Olympic Games were identical, depicting a design first used for medals awarded at the Games of the IX Olympiad (Amsterdam 1928), created by Florentine artist Giuseppe Cassioli (1865-1942) and chosen after a competition organised by the International Olympic Committee.
The obverse embossed with the goddess of victory, holding a palm in her left hand and a winner’s crown in her right. Embossed with the specific inscription 'XVIth | OLYMPIAD | MELBOURNE | 1956' and inscribed with the name of the mint, K.G. Luke Ltd.
The reverse depicts an Olympic champion carried in triumph by the crowd, with the Olympic stadium in the background.
Gilt silver
74.50 grams; diameter 51 mm
- Lot Sold $120,000 (Hammer Price)
- $147,273 (Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium)
Provenance
Murray Rose AM, Sydney
The Estate of the Late Murray Rose AM, Sydney
Exhibited
National Sports Museum, Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, 1987 - 21 September 2020
Literature
Murray Rose, Life is Worth Swimming, Arbon Publishing, Sydney, 2013, pp. 78, 189, 221 (illustrated)
Jewellery Specialists |
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Rebecca SheahanSpecialist, Melbourne |
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Emma FinnSpecialist, Sydney |
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Art & Objects of Virtu Specialists |
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Geoffrey SmithChairman Australian & International ArtMelbourne | Sydney T: +61 (0)3 9508 9900 T: +61 (0)2 9302 2402 E: Geoffrey Smith |
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Gary SingerChief Executive Officer Australian & International ArtMelbourne | Sydney T: +61 (0)3 9508 9900 T: +61 (0)2 9302 2402 E: Gary Singer |