Olympic and Aquatic Sports Memorabilia Auction

As part of the activities surrounding its annual induction weekend, the International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, USA, will be holding its inaugural International Aquatics History Symposium and Film Festival (IAHSFF) from May 9 to 12, 2012.  As a long-time friend and supporter of the ISHOF and in conjunction with this event, Craig Perlow will be conducting an Olympic and Aquatic Sports Memorabilia Auction on his website, OlympianArtifacts.com, with a substantial portion of the proceeds going to the ISHOF and its programs.

Featuring just fifteen lots, the two most prominent and historically-significant pieces in the auction come from the St. Louis 1904 Olympic Games -- a participant's medal (w/o loop - shown above) and a bronze swimming medal (w/o ribbon) for the men's 440-yard freestyle.  Both medals belonged to Otto Wahle of Austria, a 1996 ISHOF inductee as a "Pioneer Swimmer/Contributor", who not only was a St. Louis 1904 Olympic swimming bronze medalist, but a Paris 1900 Olympic swimming double silver medalist as well. 

Three other important items include the Melbourne 1956 Swimming Participant's Badge belonging to 1976 ISHOF inductee Valerie Gyenge of Hungary, a rarely-seen Los Angeles 1932 Strip of 2 Unused Swimming Tickets and the Beijing 2008 Photo Poster entitled "The Touch .01" -- produced from the original photograph taken by legendary Sports Illustrated photographer Hans Kluetmeier and autographed by gold and silver-medal winners, Michael Phelps of the USA and Milorad Cavic of Serbia, respectively.  This last item is a very limited edition and is currently available ONLY from the ISHOF for $1,000.  However, thanks to the generosity of the donor, the starting price for this item in the auction is just $500.

The wide array of items should appeal to a broad range of collectors with reserve prices ranging from just $5 for a set of 7 Munich 1972 Mark Spitz Trading Cards to a very reasonable $17,000 for the real prize in this auction -- the St. Louis 1904 Otto Wahle Participant's Medal.

For detailed descriptions and images of the auction items, simply log on to OlympianArtifacts.com and click on the "AUCTION ITEMS" link which is located just above the "QUICK SEARCH" feature on the home page.

If you are interested in participating in the auction, please contact Craig via e-mail at craigatl@mindspring.com or by phone at 1.404.388.0854 (cell) BEFORE April 15th and 1.770.416.9802 (home) AFTER April 15th.  He will then send you a copy of the auction rules and regulations.

The auction will formally begin on Sunday, April 1, 2012 at 9:00 a.m. EDT and end on Monday, April 30th, 2012 at 5:00 p.m. EDT.