Let the games begin again!
A collection in the starting blocks!
The Olympic Games originated in ancient times, in Olympia, around 776 BC and were held there every four years until around 393 BC. All free Greek males were allowed to take part, whatever their origin or rank. Women were not permitted to compete* or even attend the games.
*There was, however, a loophole to this rule – chariot owners, not riders, were declared Olympic champions and anyone could own a chariot. Kyniska, daughter of a Spartan king, took advantage of this, claiming victory wreaths twice in the 4th century BC.
However, it was not until more than 20 centuries later that the Frenchman Pierre de Coubertin founded the International Olympic Committee in Paris in 1894.
Coin France
Pierre de Coubertin, JO Albertville 92, 500 Francs, 1991, Paris
The first modern Olympic Games were held as only fitting in Athens, Greece, in 1896.
The Winter Olympics came a little later, in 1924, in Chamonix, France.
As 2024 will be an Olympiad year for the city of Paris, which will see the Games reborn, we have brought together and classified in chronological order 136 coins and medals with the theme of the Olympic Games issued between 1896 and the present day.
A numismatic tale for a collection in peak Olympic condition!
P.S.: Some of these articles are no longer available due to their rarity. If you are interested in acquiring them, please don’t hesitate to ask our experts for help finding an item.
Illustration: “Olympic Games” by the AI program Midjourney (2024) (All rights reserved)
France 10 Euro
2021, Monnaie de Paris, JO 2024 Paris Judo.BE, MS(65-70)
