1904 Olympic track and field gold medal sells for more than $500,000

Last week, we reported that a rare gold medal from the 1904 Olympic Games in St. Louis, won by Team USA’s Fred Schule in the men’s 110m hurdles, was being auctioned for US$185,000. On Thursday, the medal, an iconic token of Olympic history, sold for a whopping $545,371, according to RR Auction.

The relic bears great significance to collectors of Olympic history who aim to collect a set of medals from each Games–but Schule’s medal is the only privately-owned medal from a sanctioned 1904 Olympic event. “That level of rarity—combined with its condition and provenance—explains why collectors were so determined to acquire it,” said RR Auctions’ Olympic specialist Bobby Eaton. The medal was originally priced at US$150,000, and had jumped in value to $185,000 within the first half-month of bidding.

The gold medal, in excellent condition considering its age, comes in its original, and visibly timeworn, leather case, with a yellow, red, blue and white striped ribbon. It features a victorious athlete and shows other athletes participating in various sports int he background. “Olympiad, 1905,” the inscription reads. The name of the jeweller who produced the medal, Dieges & Clust (a New York company established in 1898) is also etched onto the surface, while the back is inscribed with “110m hurdles.”

Schule won the sprint in 16 seconds flat. Now, 121 years later, the world record for the 110m hurdles stands at 12.80 seconds, set by American Aries Merritt at the Brussels Diamond League in 2012.

Vintage Olympic track and field gold medal being auctioned for $185,000

St. Louis’s 1904 Games were the first to present gold, silver and bronze medals to first, second and third-place finishers, respectively. The competition also marked the first time the U.S. hosted the Olympics, which they have since hosted seven more times (four Summer and four Winter Games). They will host their ninth and 10th Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028 and Salt Lake City in 2034.

Damaged Paris 2024 medals

The remarkable shape of the century-old gold medal doesn’t help to dismiss concerns about the declining qualify of Olympic medals in modern competition. Recent headlines have exposed the deteriorating state of numerous Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic awards, presenting flaking surfaces comparable to historical artifacts or “crocodile skin.” The French mint, responsible for producing the 2024 medals, has reportedly retrieved more than 100 damaged pieces from athletes.

Les médailles d’or olympiques décernées en France sont rouillées après seulement quatre mois. pic.twitter.com/VniwKegWJm

— SILVANO TROTTA OFFICIEL (@silvano_trotta) December 29, 2024

At the same sale, however, a bronze medal won at the Paris 2024 Games was auctioned for $34,769, seemingly not exhibiting the same flaws as others in the 2024 batch.