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≡ RR AUCTION SALE ≡
The newest RR Auction of Olympic memorabilia, which closed on Thursday (23rd) racked up $980,000 in sales, led by an ultra-rare Mexico City 1968 torch. There were 24 items which went for $10,000 or more, 11 of which were torches:
● $91,451: 1968 Mexico City Olympic torch (type 6)
● $71,250: 1930 FIFA World Championship gold medal
● $62,500: 1924 Chamonix Winter gold medal
● $50,908: 1994 Lillehammer Winter torch
● $49,976: 1894 Paris Olympic Congress Session medal
● $46,926: 1992 Albertville Winter torch
● $46,506: 1912 Stockholm gold medal (shooting)
● $44,291: 1980 Lake Placid Winter torch
● $30,245: 1900 Paris presentation trophy presented by Pierre de Coubertin
● $26,488: 1956 Cortina Winter torch
● $26,488: 1976 Innsbruck Winter torch
● $24,995: 1992 Barcelona medal set (gold-silver-bronze)
● $25,000: 1972 Sapporo Winter torch
● $23,483: 1908 London gold medal (field hockey)
● $22,691: 1920 Antwerp victory trophy presented by Pierre de Coubertin
● $19,456: 1988 Calgary Winter torch
● $18,089: 1956 Melbourne Olympic torch
● $17,500: 2024 Paris Olympic torch
● $15,679: 2026 Milan Cortina Winter torch
● $15,629: 1920 Antwerp gold medal (tug of war)
● $15,008: 1996 Atlanta gold medal (baseball)
● $12,545: 1984 Los Angeles bronze medal (gymnastics)
● $12,501: 1904 St. Louis Olympic participation medal
● $10,008: 1924 Chamonix Winter bronze medal
The type 6 Mexico City torch, per the description, was a special edition:
“The creation of the Type 6 torch stemmed from an even more serious concern. During the Spanish leg of the relay, an explosion occurred during a flame-transfer ceremony in Barcelona when Olympian Gregorio Rojo received the Olympic flame from another torchbearer. Although those involved escaped with only minor injuries and the relay resumed shortly thereafter, the incident generated immediate concern among organizers. Contemporary reports attributed the detonation to fuel volatility and the ‘too-rapid contact of a lighted torch with an unlighted one.’
“In response, the Spanish Olympic Committee developed a safer and simplified replacement torch for use during portions of the relay in Spain: the now-famous ‘Type 6.’ Further evidence of its adoption survives in the accompanying torch relay medal, which clearly depicts the distinctive Type 6 design.”
The relay retraced the voyage of Columbus from Spain to the Americas, with 2,778 torchbearers and repeated design changes to handle overheating problems. The sixth edition was not recognized as a separate design for 50 years!
Given that the FIFA World Cup just concluded, the enthusiasm for the special gold medal presented to FIFA President Jules Rimet (FRA) at the time of the first World Cup – in 1930 – drew a lot of attention and a $71,250 final sales price, with the buyer’s premium.
The unique lot in this auction was an amazing collection of 25 Olympic torches going back to 1936 from the Fred Raymon Collection. Projected to sell for as much as $115,000, bids reached past $40,000, but at the end did not meet the minimum sales price required by the consignor.
However, maybe the wildest item sold was also from the Fred Raymon Collection, a set of six discuses, each signed by a track & field superstar: Olympic champions Al Oerter and Mac Wikins, and decathlon champs Bob Mathias, Dan O’Brien, Ashton Eaton and silver medalist Jurgen Hingsen (GER). The package sold for $1,971 with the buyer’s premium.
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