Historical Hockey Memorabilia Auction March 2010
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 3/16/2010
We cannot overstate the significance of this one! In what became known as the "Miracle on Ice", a young but determined team of American collegians upset the powerhouse Soviet national team at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. That incredible and inspirational Olympic hockey victory led to Team USA's gold medal win on home soil, an underdog story that has been told and retold in books and movies after establishing the chant "USA! USA!" for any and every American success story. Offered here is an actual XIII Olympic Winter Games gold medal, identical in every way to those presented to Mike Eruzione, Jim Craig, and the rest of coach Herb Brooks' band of American upstarts. This gold masterpiece is a Tiffany & Co. creation that comes with its original case. A sturdy fist bearing a torch is centered on the face of the medal between "XIII OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES" and the Olympic rings, with the Adirondack Mountains as a backdrop. The other side of the medal features a fir branch along the right side with "LAKE PLACID 1980" and the Lake Placid games' official logo on the upper left side. "Tiffany & Co. Sterling Silver 1979" is stamped on the bottom edge of the medal. The champion of every Olympic event in Lake Placid received a gold medal virtually identical to this one, which was struck in gold vermeil over sterling silver. The only difference between this example and the gold medals awarded during the Lake Placid games is that the winner's name and discipline, "Ice Hockey", was engraved on those, one for each and every player on the U.S. hockey team. Widely known throughout the hobby as one of the toughest gold medals to obtain, only 73 were awarded in total at the Lake Placid Olympics. The gold medal offered here is one of only a few known examples of unawarded XIII Olympic Winter Games gold medals from the 1980 Lake Placid games. These medals were minted along with those awarded and were on hand for contingencies, such as ties, where extra gold medals might have had to be presented. Blue leather Tiffany & Co. hinged display case is 1 1/2" thick and features a gilded 1980 Lake Placid Olympic logo embossed on its 7 3/8" x 5 3/8" cover. This authentic 1980 Lake Placid gold medal rests comfortably in a blue velour setting within its padded interior. A rare and remarkable opportunity that will interest a wide variety of collectors. Please note that this item may be subject to a silent reserve. [red] Addendum; The medal has a diameter of 3 1/8" and has a thickness of a quarter of an inch (1/4").[/red]
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