1928 Amsterdam Olympic Games Gold Participation Medal

A beautiful and rare 1928 (IX Olympiad) Amsterdam Olympic Games Participation in the top grade Gold category.
The medal is of a non-portable type and shows on the obverse, a nude male & female athlete on a podium holding a flaming torch above the Olympic flame. Underneath, the podium has the head of Medusa, and below that, is a set of scales and laurel branches. On the reverse is the figure of Nike over Marathon Tower and the stadium. Below that, is the shield of Amsterdam between two hemispheres and the date 1928. The script along the edge reads: IXe OLYMPIADE AMSTERDAM. The medal has been stamped on the edge with the name of the recipient: MAJOR T. H. WAND-TETLEY. BRITISH FOIL FENCING TEAM. Condition is very good, with the gold plating still intact.

The Olympic Protocol provides that a souvenir medal is presented to all contestants and officials. At the Amsterdam Olympics the design was entrusted to Mr. J. C. WIENECKE, a well-known Dutch medallist. The design done by him was found suitable after a few slight alterations and a bronze medal was made by the firm of Gerritsen & van Kempen. It was issued in 3 classes Gold, Silver and Bronze.

The IX Olympiad featured 17 Sports, 122 Events, 46 National Teams and 3248 Participants.

Major Thomas Wand-Tetley (1890 - 1956) was a British fencer and modern pentathlete. Originally from Paignton, he competed at the 1920 and 1928 Summer Olympics.

Size: 56 x 3 mm (2 3/16 x 3/16 inches)
Weight: 59g