RR Auction Features Rare Olympics Memorabilia This July

RR Auction recently opened an online auction featuring a number of lots involving famous comic art and original Disney production cels and concept art. But what else is coming up this summer at the globally recognized Boston-based auction house?

Opening on July 14^th at RR Auction is an online “Olympics Memorabilia” auction that includes items covering over a century of Olympics history. From the Athens games in 1896 to the upcoming 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, this auction contains a breathtaking number of artifacts and memorabilia for collectors that can be previewed in RR Auction’s beautifully arranged virtual catalog.  

The oldest item at this auction actually stretches further back in time than a century. Alongside the artifacts from the modern Olympics is an Ancient Greek silver coin, evaluated to be from circa 325-250 BC. Worn around the edges from centuries of existence, the coin is 22 millimeters in size and originates from the city of Selge, Pisidia. One side features two muscular wrestlers grappling, and the other depicts a slinger with arms poised in the air. The coin is estimated to auction for $200+.

The oldest item from the modern Olympics era is from the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens. The bronze participation medal is 50 millimeters in size and weighs 58 grams, featuring on the front an image of Nike, the Greek Goddess of Victory, holding a laurel wreath above an emerging phoenix over an Acropolis backdrop. On the other side is a star placed inside a laurel wreath with five lines of Greek text. This medal is estimated to auction for $800+.

The most valuable artifact at RR Auction in this Olympics feature is expected to auction for an estimated $75,000+: the silver-colored brass and steel alloy official torch from the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo. The torch was designed by Geir Grung and Adolf Thoresen and has the iconic Olympic rings logo engraved on the top. Carried by Ragnar Navelsaker on February 13^th, 1952, this torch is especially desirable as the torchbearer’s name and participation dates are often unknown from the early relays.

Other excitingly rare and valuable items at this auction include:

·         A gold winner’s medal from the 1908 London Summer Olympics ($15,000+).

·         A bronze winner’s medal from the 1980 Lack Placid Winter Olympics ($10,000+).

·         A gold winner’s medal from 2012 London Summer Olympics ($30,000+).

·         The Calgary 1988 Winter Olympics Torch and Mother Flame Lamp ($50,000+).

All of the memorabilia for auction this July can be previewed in the virtual catalogs at RR Auction’s website. For additional previews of rare and historic documents and artifacts for auction, please follow RR Auction’s Twitter at https://twitter.com/rrauction and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/rrauction/.