Opening Ceremony of the Sochi Olympics today - post an Olympic coin

Swampboy

coinsarefun

The only one I have is a US coin




An article on PCGS about toned modern commemoratives where this coin is featured

SmEagle1795

The ancient Olympics were held in Olympia. There were two main mints there, the more popular being Elis, and they minted some absolutely fantastic coins. Because people came from across the world to see the Olympics, they needed a common currency to make trade easier. So, everyone was required to exchange their coins for the newest coinage minted for those games. This helped pay for the games as well as the exchange rate was in the favor of Elis, to have a bit of a profit on each exchange.

This coin is from the 93rd Olympiad, in 408 BC, and is often considered to be the most dramatic close up depiction of an animal on any ancient coin. The eagle represents Zeus, the ruler of the gods, and the reverse, while worn on this coin, is of a lightning bolt.

I specifically was looking for a fairly circulated example of a coin from the Olympics because it shows that it certainly was used in commerce by the spectators coming to the Olympic games. I am hunting for some more as well, but it's hard to find nice examples of many of these.




Also, here is a tetradrachm from 359BC of Philip II, Alexander the Great's father, with the reverse of the horse he entered into the Olympics which won:

LochNESS

Love the Olympics. Always feel inspired.

This one is personal because I not only attended the Atlanta games (as a spectator), but also volunteered for our Paralympics. I was ball boy at the table tennis matches. It was an exhilarating experience I shall never forget.

Swampboy

WillieBoyd2

I went to a local coin show in January 2014 and found these two items in a
dealer's coin box, marked for $18 each.

I am not a big fan of the Olympics, but the coins looked nice so I bought them.

Both are from Austria, and commemorate the 1976 Winter Olympics held in Innsbruck.

The Krause catalog states that the coins are 36mm, silver 0.640, ASW: 0.4924oz,
and should weigh 23.9300gm.

One of mine has a weight that is close but the other weighs significantly more.
Is it a catalog error or something else?


Austria 100 Schillings 1976 Winter Olympics Innsbruck - Emblem (KM-2926)
Weight: 23.87gm (close)


Austria 100 Schillings 1976 Winter Olympics Innsbruck - Building (KM-2927)
Weight: 24.21gm (not so close)
The eagle on the reverse looks almost like an Aztec deity.

Innsbruck also hosted the 1964 Winter Olympics, I bought this one by mail from the Vienna Mint then,
along with some Maria Theresia Thalers.


Austria 50 Schillings 1964 Winter Olympics Innsbruck (KM-2896)

PolishSilver

LochNESS

Knew I had a few more offerings … Vancouver and some more Atlanta.




Love the Pacific Northwest tribal designs. Unfortunately it's got a case of nasty frostbite around the rim.

SYRACUSIAN

<< <i>Knew I had a few more offerings … Vancouver and some more Atlanta.

>>




Nick, the first one is NOT Atlanta, it's Belize issuing a commem coin for the Atlanta games.
There is actually a law that says that only the host country is allowed to mint official Olympic commemorative coins, the rest is just junk.

But to each his own, and this law is practically never enforced.
Below, the first ever commemorative 2 euro (same reverse as all 2 euros), issued for the 2004 Athens Olympics, and priced at face value.



There's also an entire series of 6 gold and 12 silver coins minted for that event, without counting the torch relay series.

At the time, the cost of the gold coins was 100 euros each, but the price was 330 for dealers and 440 for collectors.
Even when gold hit $1800 per oz the coins were still more expensive than their intrinsic value.

You'd think that after Canada's and Russia's huge mintages in 1976 and 1980, and the disastrous price drop at the secondary market (BV)
would have put some sense into the organizers' minds to mint these coins in very small numbers, and at any rate absolutely no more than 5000 per gold coin.
Unfortunately it wasn't the case and of course the result is that 10 years later the coins barely sell for slightly above their BV if that,
let alone that they are still available for purchase from the official distributors..... Sigh.

Zoins

<< <i>The ancient Olympics were held in Olympia. There were two main mints there, the more popular being Elis, and they minted some absolutely fantastic coins. Because people came from across the world to see the Olympics, they needed a common currency to make trade easier. So, everyone was required to exchange their coins for the newest coinage minted for those games. This helped pay for the games as well as the exchange rate was in the favor of Elis, to have a bit of a profit on each exchange.

This coin is from the 93rd Olympiad, in 408 BC, and is often considered to be the most dramatic close up depiction of an animal on any ancient coin. The eagle represents Zeus, the ruler of the gods, and the reverse, while worn on this coin, is of a lightning bolt.

I specifically was looking for a fairly circulated example of a coin from the Olympics because it shows that it certainly was used in commerce by the spectators coming to the Olympic games. I am hunting for some more as well, but it's hard to find nice examples of many of these.

>>



Great coin and photo! That's very striking and in amazing condition from the 93 Olympiad!

What's the earliest Olympiad from which there are known coins?

WillieBoyd2

I just got these yesterday at the Santa Rosa California coin show:


Russia 1 Rouble 1977 - 1980 Moscow Olympics


Russia 1 Rouble 1979 - 1980 Moscow Olympics