Rare Olympic Collectibles Up for Auction

(ATR) Rare memorabilia goes up for auction in Swedish mail-bid sale, curling pin aficionados sweep through Calgary, and two big collectors shows are on the horizon

An extremely rare official "Lawn-Tennis" badge for the 1912 Stockholm Olympics is one of the highlights of Ulf Strom's Olympic mail bid auction closing March 27.

Strom tells Around the Rings that the silvered badge, one of only 10 made by Swedish manufacturer Sporrong & Co., is the only one he has ever seen or heard of and was probably worn by the nine members of the Lawn-Tennis Special Committee. The estimate on the badge is $5,000.

The badge is so rare it is not listed in the book, "Official Olympic Participant Badges," the excellent and comprehensive collector's guide by Hans Elbel published last year.

Strom, who is based in Stockholm, says a rare and beautiful Sevres Porcelain Vase awarded to gold medal winners at the 1924 Paris Olympics is also "a splendid collector's piece."

The vase, which stands 330 mm high (about 13 inches), was designed by Guillonet and executed by Bracquemond with hand-painted golden laurel branches on a blue background. It has four medallions depicting boxing, shot put, wrestling and javelin. Vases were made in several version to accommodate different Olympic events and were presented by the Paris City Council to gold medalists. The estimate is $15,000.

A rare stein from the 1904 Olympics presented to William J. Vogel "as a token of esteem" from members of the U.S. Olympic wrestling team has an estimate of $3,700. The silver-plated stein is engraved with the names of wrestling team members including gold medalist George Mehnert, silver medalists Gustav Bauer, Theo McLear and August Wester and bronze medalist Albert Zirkel.

The 185-lot auction also includes winners' medals, participation medals, badges, tickets, programs, pins, plates and other Olympic memorabilia from 1896 to 1992.

For information or to receive a copy of the catalog, contact Ulf Strom at ulf.strom@mbox302.swipnet.se

Pin Collectors Converge on Curling Event

Pin collectors are sweeping through an upper level concourse at Calgary's Pengrowth Saddledome looking for the ultimate curling prize while the Brier, the Canadian Men's Curling Championship, goes on below.

The pin trading is the most intense in Calgary since the 1988 Winter Olympics, according to CTV. The Brier concludes Sunday.

The network said there are at least 12,000 curling clubs across Canada -- and all have pins. Only four pins were made for the first Brier in 1927, and those were given to the members of the winning team.

Since then, thousands of pins have been produced and distributed to players, spectators and sponsors. This year there are about 50 official pins, including about 40 produced by sponsors, said Warren Hansen of the Canadian Curling Association.

14th World Olympic Collectors' Fair Deadline Approaches

The deadline for reserving tables or stands at the 14th World Olympic Collectors' Fair in Warsaw is Sunday. The fair will be held May 29-31, 2009.

Standard tables are $65 and lockable cabinet showcase tables are $130.

For information, please contact Joanna Huzarska at jhuzarska@pkol.pl or fax +48 22 560 37 35.

IOC Honorary President Juan Antonio Samaranch will attend the Opening Ceremony of the fair, which will be held in conjunction with "The Prestige Olympic Philately" exhibition and a display of the Coca-Cola Olympic Pins Collection.

Olympin Collectors Club Show in Vancouver Area

The Olympin Collectors Club will hold its next show Aug 6-9, 2009, at the Richmond Olympic Oval in Richmond, Canada, near Vancouver. Registration forms will soon be available online.

For information, go towww.pacificpinclub.org

Olympin is the largest Olympic collectors club in the world with about 600 members. Members who join by May 1, 2009, will be included in this year's directory.

For information, go to www.olympinclub.com

Written by Karen Rosen

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