A Souvenir Of The First Winter Olympics
This bronze medal, designed by Raoul Bérnard, is a rare survivor from the 1924 Winter Olympics at Chamonix, it comes for sale in our Fine Interiors Auction on Tuesday 3 & Wednesday 4 December.
This bronze medal, designed by Raoul Bérnard, is a rare survivor from the 1924 Winter Olympics at Chamonix. The winter games held between 25 January and 5 February, 1924 were organised by the French Olympic Committee and originally described as the International Winter Sports Week. However, two years later it was designated by the IOC as the first ever winter olympiad.
Bernard’s 5.5cm design depicts a competitor holding skates aloft in his right hand and with skis in the left. The reverse has a 14-line inscription detailing ‘La Célébration de la VIIIe Olympiade’.
As a total of 258 athletes from 16 countries competed in 16 events in the 1924 games, this medal is a rarity. It comes for sale in its original red fitted case from a vendor who inherited it from his father. At Sworders on 3 December the estimate is £7,000-9,000.
Recent News
Katharine Coleman MBE | The Art of Engraving
In anticipation of our upcoming auction 'The Glass Sale', we shine a spotlight on one of Britain’s most accomplished contemporary glass engravers, Katharine Coleman MBE.
20 March 2026
Spot the Difference | East or West?
Imagine holding a beautifully painted porcelain dish in your hands. The colours, the delicate brushwork, the elegant form - all suggest it must be Chinese. But what if it wasn’t? What if this seemingly Chinese porcelain dish was actually made in nineteenth-century France?
18 March 2026
Seven Courses for Her Majesty
This remarkable survivor is featured as a highlight in our forthcoming Books, Manuscripts and Maps timed auction, running from Friday 24 April to Monday 4 May, offering collectors a rare opportunity to acquire an evocative piece of early Victorian court history.
12 March 2026