Fall Premier Auction 2017
Wed, Oct 18, 2017 04:00PM EDT - Sat, Nov 4, 2017 11:00PM EDT
Timed Auction
Lot 688
PAIR OF 1900 PARIS EXPOSITION GAMES (2ND OLYMPICS) "CHAPLAIN" MEDALS IN GILT BRONZE AND BRONZE
Sold for
$513.60
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 |
Addendum: Description has been updated. Identifiable/personalized engravings on the obverse of each are now accurate.
Presented here is a pair of award medals from the1900 Paris Exposition Games (aka The World's Fair) which lasted fromMay 14 to October 28 and were later given credit as the 2nd ModernOlympic Games following the 1896 Olympics in Athens Greece. Theorganizers so under-promoted the Olympic status of the competitions thatmany of the athletes never knew they were participating in Olympicevents.
Known as "Chaplain” medals in honor of designer J.C. Chaplain thesehave long been collected as proxy participation medals; however noparticipation medals were issued for the 1900 Paris Exposition/OlympicGames. A total of five variations of Chaplain medals were issued by theUniversal Exposition Committee as a general award with most recipientsbeing individual members of firms or institutions. Bronze is the mostcommon. Silvered Bronze and Gilt Bronze are much scarcer. Two otherversions—Solid Silver and Gilt Silver “Vermeil”—are so rare that some Olympic collectors wonder if they even exist.
The Bronze and Gilt Bronze examples offered here each have a diameter of 63 mm and a thickness of 3mm. The bronze weighs 98 grams while the giltbronze weighs 102 grams. Both have the same relief design. Theobverse features a winged Nike victory figure supporting an athlete whoholds a torch to the sky. "Exposition Universelle Internationale"surrounds the rim with "1900" above the Nike figure on the right. Belowthe Nike figure is the name of designer "J.C. Chaplain." The gilt bronze medal hasthe name of its recipient engraved in a raised rectangular box at the bottom: "M.LOBRE". The other bronze's same size raised box at the bottom has the following engraving: "MINISTERE DE L'INDUSTRIE ET DU TRAVAIL BRUXELLES". On the reverse are the words "Republique Franciase" aroundan image of Marianne a national symbol of the French Republic and aParis skyline. The side edge of each medal is stamped with thecornucopia symbol of the French Mint and "BRONZE.” The bronze presents VF and the gilt bronze (which resembles a shiny gold medal) appears GVF.
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