When Silver Was Gold

When we think of silver medals in sporting events, automatically, we will think of "second place". It's has almost become common sense. In many sporting events, the gold medal is awarded to the winner, the silver medal to the first runner-up, and the bronze medal to the second runner-up. Obviously, the logic of the order is drawn from the intrinsic value of each of the metals. Gold, the most expensive metal, occupies first place, then, silver, and finally, bronze. For some reason, only the top three finishers are presented with medals.

In the first modern international summer Olympic Games held in Athens, Greece in 1896, silver was gold. There were no gold medals. First place winners were awarded silver medals, crowned with olive branches, and given victory certificates. Second place winners were awarded bronze medals, crowned with laurel branches, and given certificates indicating their placing. 

Designed by a Greek known as Nicolas Gysis, the 1896 Olympic winner's medal features a half-interested, half-disinterested mugshot of Zeus with lush, curly hair and beard on the obverse. On a globe (roughly the size of an orange) resting on his right hand, stands a Barbie-sized Nike, the goddess of victory. She must be tired, carrying an olive branch which is at least as big as herself. On her right is the Greek script which reads "OLYMPIA". Images of Acropolis and the Parthenon dominate the reverse. Above, in a rainbow of Greek incriptions, it says, "International Olympic Games", for in those days, the Olympic Games were really not so international with only 14 countries in attendance. At the bottom, there are the words, once again in Greek, "Athen 1896".

The 1896 Summer Olympics was truly a celebration of the human spirit. Even those who didn't finish second or higher got something. All participants of the 1896 Olympic Games were presented with special commemorative medals casted in bronze. Athletes, dignataries, and officals were given three different styles of the medal designed by Nikephoros Lytras, a Greek artist. It shows Nike in a majestic pose on the obverse and the Greek words "International Olympic Games, Athens 1896" encircled by a wreath of olive on the reverse.

It was not until the 1904 Summer Olympic Games in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, that gold medals were awarded to the winners with silver and bronze medals given out to the first and second runner-ups, respectively. The first edition Olympic medals are quite rare and really, silver is no longer gold. Now, if you want sell silver, you can get instant cash for silver. Here's a reliable silver buyer who pays the best rates for silver.