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≡ INGRID O’NEIL 100 ≡
The 100th auction of Olympic memorabilia from Ingrid O’Neil closed on Saturday with the star being a limited-edition torch from the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad in Paris in 2024.
Citing the need for sustainability and concerns over costs, only 2,000 torches were made.and were not given to the torchbearers. These have been popular on the auction circuit when available; this edition was offered at $18,000 to start and sold for $19,000.
It was the only item to sell for more than $10,000; there were five others which sold for $5,000 or more:
● $9,500: 1996 Atlanta Olympic Torch, signed by Muhammad Ali
● $9,000: 1906 Athens Intercalated Games gold medal
● $8,000: 1980 Lake Placid Winter Trial Torch
● $6,000: 1924 Paris Olympic silver medal
● $6,000: 1960 Squaw Valley Winter silver medal
A unique souvenir of the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles sold for $3,000: a numbered trumpet from the opening ceremony – one of 126 – complete with the hanging banner with the Star-in-Motion logo! A 1984 Olympic torch, with the original black carry pouch also sold for $3,000, and an Olympic Flame security lamp went for $2,800.
The 1984 trumpet did better than a 1980 Moscow Olympic bugle from the opening ceremony, which sold for $800.
A very impressive and rarely-seen sculpture commissioned by International Olympic Committee President Juan Antonio Samaranch and presented to IOC members at the time he left office in 2002 was up for sale. Nine inches high, it was created by Spanish sculptor Rosa Serra, it has the logos of 10 Games held during Samaranch’s tenure and “Gracias” and “Thank you” above the base. Made of bronze, it sold for $3,000.
There were some interesting and fun items as well:
● The first strongly-marketed mascot, Munich ‘72’s “Waldi” the dachshund, was popular, with a plush toy selling for $120 and a series of four Waldi souvenirs bringing $325.
● A tie tack souvenir of the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles went for $100 and a 1956 Melbourne Olympics pin with a kangaroo and ostrich standing on the Olympic Rings went for $325!
● A football fan scooped up a “judge’s badge” from the first FIFA “World Championship” – before it was called “World Cup” – from Uruguay in 1930. Offered initially at $350, it sold for $1,100.
Congratulations to O’Neil for her 100th auction, helping to keep the marketplace for memories of the Games alive and well.
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