Featured here is a rarely seen third-place bronze winner's medal from the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics. Minted by Adamas Co. and designed Leo Burnett of Moscow, this attractive piece of craftsmanship measures 10 cm in diameter (1 cm thick) and weighs 492 grams. The lovely design depicts the landscape of Sochi with the sun’s golden rays reflecting through a prism of snowy mountaintops onto the sandy beaches of the Black Sea coast. These magnificent prizes are the result of a national design competition organized by the Sochi Olympic Committee, which requested that all formal entries be unique, modern, and [of course], Russian.

Both sides of the medal share a window of four inset polycarbonate crystals featuring the Sochi 2014 "Patchwork Quilt", a mosaic of national designs from the various cultures and ethnic groups within Russia. The obverse is inscribed with the logo “Sochi. Ru 2014” alongide small Olympic rings, while the reverse has just larger Olympic rings. The edge is inscribed “XXIII Olympic Winter Games” in Russian, French and English. The medal comes with its attractive dark blue ribbon attached and presents in immaculate condition having barely ever been touched. It comes housed in its large (6x6x2") white-painted wood presentation box, which fits perfectly into a separate white cardboard box for safe storage. The maker’s certificate of authenticity is included as well.

While Vladimir Putin's exorbitant spending (estimated $55 billion) and the elaborate doping scandal of Russian athletes that he oversaw may have put a black eye on the planning and aftermath of the Sochi Winter Games, nobody can argue with the extravagant efforts the controversial nation undertook to host them. The medals awarded to athletes are among the most beautiful examples ever struck. This is the first winner's medal of any kind (gold, silver or bronze) that we've ever listed at auction.