SCP Auctions, Inc.
Timed Auction

Spring Premier Auction 2019

Wed, Apr 10, 2019 08:00PM EDT - Sun, Apr 28, 2019 09:00AM EDT
Lot 25

OSCAR ROBERTSON'S 1960 ROME OLYMPIC GAMES PARTICIPATION MEDAL ISSUED AS MEMBER OF USA'S GOLD MEDAL BASKETBALL

Sold for
$1,034.40
Sold Price includes BP

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$200 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$3,000 $250
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$20,000 $2,000
$30,000 $2,500
$50,000 $5,000
$100,000 $10,000
$200,000 $25,000
$500,000 $50,000
$1,000,000 $100,000
$1,500,000 $150,000

A 1960 Rome Summer Olympics participation medal would not normally generate a whole lot of buzz in the market. After all these medals were not made of the highest quality material and a total of 5396 athletes who participated in these Games received one. There were on the other hand a few athletes representing the U.S. in Rome whose issued participation medals would certainly be heavily sought after by collectors. One is Muhammad Ali who as Cassius Clay won a boxing gold medal in the Light Heavyweight division at the tender age of 18. The other African-American hero for Team USA was 21-year-old Oscar Robertson who along with Jerry West Jerry Lucas and company guided the U.S. Men's basketball team on a dominant gold medal run on the hardcourt. Presented here is Oscar's very own issue participation medal from the 1960 Olympics.

Designed by Emilio Greco and minted by Bertoni of Milan the cast bronze medal measures 55 mm in diameter and 4 mm thick weighing 82 grams. The obverse shows a nude female torchbearer in the foreground with the Olympic rings in the background. The reverse shows a flight of eagles soaring over Rome stadium with "GIOCHI DELLA XVII OLYMPIADE ROMA MCMLX" inscribed around the rim. The original patina on Oscar's medal shows good dimension and just a little tarnishing. It comes in NM condition overall with light wear from age.

PLEASE NOTE: Oscar will donate a portion of his auction proceeds to the Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Center and LeBow Institute for Myeloma Therapeutics at Dana Farber. This renowned cancer treatment center “provides comprehensive care to patients with multiple myeloma including promising new therapies through clinical trials rooted in an approach that brings laboratory discoveries quickly to the clinical setting (https://www.dana-farber.org/multiple-myeloma-program).

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