2022 FALL PREMIER AUCTION
Wed, Nov 23, 2022 09:00PM EST - Sun, Dec 11, 2022 09:35AM EST
Timed Auction
Lot 433
1948 London Summer Olympics 2nd Place Silver Medal for Football Awarded to Yugoslavia Soccer Legend Stjepan Bobek - Includes Presentation Case and Let
Sold for
$10,278
Sold Price includes BP
Bid Increments
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| $3,000 | $250 |
| $5,000 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $1,000 |
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| $500,000 | $50,000 |
Offered here is a significant silver winner's medal from the 1948 London Olympics awarded to Yugoslavia soccer legend Stjepan Bobek. A star striker for Yugoslavian club FK Partizan when he was selected to represent his country, Bobek scored four goals during the '48 Olympic tournament and led his squad all the way to the gold medal match. He scored his team's only goal in a 3-1 loss to Sweden in the final. Bobek would later star at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, scoring three goals and winning another silver medal for Yugoslavia. The Croatian played in two FIFA World Cups, 1950 and '54, and tallied 38 career goals in 63 international caps to become Yugoslavia's all-time leading scorer (which lasted 66 years until Serbian Aleksandar Mitrovic finally passed him in 2021).
Known for his deft touch, playmaking and clinical finishes, the Bobek is widely considered Yugoslavia's greatest ever footballer. He went on to become a highly successful manager of several Yugoslavian clubs including Vardar in Macedonia, where he worked with the previous owner's grandfather, Nikola Matesk. The two became best friends and Bobek eventually gifted Mateski this medal.
This exquisite silver medal was sculpted by renowned Italian artist Giuseppi Cassioli in the same design that he created for the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The obverse features Nike, Goddess of Victory, seated before the Coliseum with “XIV OLYMPIAD LONDON 1948” inscribed. The reverse depicts a triumphant athlete carried by a crowd. Weight is 68 g and diameter is 51 mm. The medal is accompanied by its original blue presentation case with “THE OLYMPIC GAMES LONDON 1948” in gold stamping on its cover and minting company “JOHN PINCHES (MEDALISTS) LTD. LONDON” in fine print on the interior.
The medal shows the expected light wear from age and displays beautifully. The presentation box exhibits surface wear and has aged considerably, with the rear hinges rusted and barely attached. Still, tough to find any of these with their original cases. An estimated 136 silver medals were struck at these Games making each one extremely rare. And this one was awarded to a world-renowned football star in his heyday. A wonderful piece of Olympic soccer history. Includes a letter of provenance from the granddaughter of Bobek's best friend.
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