Coins, Tokens and Historical Medals

SWEDEN, Equestrian Olympic Games, Stockholm, 1956, a uniface oval bronze medal by J. Sjösvärd, classical Greek horseman to left, Olympic rings below, 50 x 42mm (GV 135.2). Extremely fine and extremely rare
£1,000-1,500

Provenance: DNW Auction 105, 6 December 2012, lot 1323.

Because of quarantine restrictions imposed on the admittance of animals into Australia, horses were not able to go to Melbourne for the 1956 Olympics and the equestrian competitions were held in Stockholm. Johm Sjösvärd (1890-1958) designed the medal and the better known poster, both of which utilised a horseman inspired by one of the sculptures in the Parthenon