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A sponsored post by RR Auction.
The Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games hasn’t started yet, but you can bid on one of the Games torches now, at RR Auction’s winter sale which ends on 19 February.
The 340 lots cover the sublime to the slightly ridiculous and include 34 high-end items with estimated sales prices of $10,000 or more:
● $150,000: Moscow 1980 “Stadium Torch”
● $100,000: Athens 1896 champion’s silver medal
● $40,000: Athens 1896 second place bronze medal
● $40,000: Oslo 1952 Winter gold medal (ice hockey) on plaque
● $30,000: Lake Placid 1932 Winter bronze medal and diplomas
● $30,000: Tokyo 1964 gold medal (fencing)
● $30,000: Lillehammer 1994 Olympic Winter torch
● $30,000: Tokyo 2020 silver medal (judo)
● $30,000: Paris 2024 bronze medal (canoeing)
● $25,000: Los Angeles 1932 gold medal (with box)
● $25,000: Innsbruck 1964 Winter gold medal (speed skating)
● $20,000: Sapporo 1964 Olympic Winter torch
● $20,000: Sapporo 1964 Winter gold medal (speed skating)
● $20,000: Calgary 1988 Olympic Winter torch and safety lamp
● $20,000: Nagano 1998 Winter bronze medal (ski jumping)
● $20,000: Turin 2006 Winter silver medal
● $20,000: Rio 2016 silver medal (judo)
● $15,000: Athens 1896 original invitation letters (3)
● $15,000: 1904 St. Louis participation medal
● $15,000: Melbourne 1956 Olympic torch
● $15,000: Cortina 1956 Olympic Winter torch
● $15,000: Mexico City 1968 gold medal (volleyball)
● $15,000: Mexico City 1968 gold-silver-bronze medals set
● $15,000: Innsbruck 1964 Winter gold medal (ice hockey)
● $15,000: Albertville 1992 Winter bronze medal
● $15,000: Paris 2024 Olympic torch
● $12,500: Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic winter torch
● $10,000: 40-plus Olympic participation medals from 1896-2010
● $10,000: Antwerp 1920 gold medal (shooting)
● $10,000: Chamonix 1924 Winter bronze medal
● $10,000: St. Moritz 1948 Winter IOC President badge
● $10,000: Munich 1972 gold medal
● $10,000: Sydney 2000 silver medal (baseball)
● $10,000: Turin 2006 Winter silver medal (unawarded)
What’s so special about that Moscow torch? The description explains:
“During the 1980 Moscow Olympics, a little-known special solid-fuel stadium torch—produced in only 20 examples—was introduced for cauldron-lighting ceremonies in Moscow, Leningrad, Minsk, and Kiev. Unlike the standard liquid-gas relay torch used by the thousands, this stadium variant was engineered for absolute reliability: its pyrotechnic fuel burned in any weather, even underwater, and its construction avoided the fragile upper aluminum section of the standard model. …
“The consistent use of the special torch in these stadium ceremonies reveals the Organizing Committee’s concern with eliminating any risk of flame failure at the decisive moment. Whereas the regular relay torch could be extinguished by heavy weather, the solid-fuel stadium torch guaranteed a robust, wind- and rain-proof flame for the public lighting of the cauldron.”
Having a Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games torch on auction prior to the opening ceremony of the Games is a unique achievement and the first to be offered at auction! It has received 21 bids so far and that total will go higher.
Perhaps the most unusual items are three unissued file copies of Athens 2004 Games accreditation badges for ex-U.S. President George Bush, basketball star LeBron James (in his first Games) and swim icon Michael Phelps, in his second Games. Each is estimated to go for $2,000 and all have had multiple bids so far!
Also up for sale is a Paris 2024 Olympic Torch Greek lighting ceremony Priestess Dress and Sandals, estimated to go for $2,000 and how about a Sports Emmy Award, originally honoring NBC feature producer Nicolas Worth for his work on the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games broadcast (also projected at $2,000). Wow.
And this auction also offers a completely unique collection of 39 Olympic-related men’s ties that once belonged to the late Canadian member of the International Olympic Committee, James Worrall. If you need some ties – there are also a pair of Olympic Team Canada suspenders – it’s a bargain at an estimated price of just $200.
The first bidding deadline is 7 p.m. Eastern time on 19 February, after which only registered bidders can compete for items.
A sponsored post by RR Auction.
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