Mexico City 1968The Medals

On the obverse, the traditional goddess of victory, holding a palm in her left hand and a winner’s crown in her right. A design used since the 1928 Games in Amsterdam, created by Florentine artist Giuseppe Cassioli (ITA -1865-1942) and chosen after a competition organised by the International Olympic Committee in 1921. For these Games, the picture of victory is accompanied by the specific inscription: “XIX OLIMPIADA MEXICO 1968”.

On the reverse, an Olympic champion carried in triumph by the crowd, with the Olympic stadium in the background. N.B.: From 1928 to 1968, the medals for the Summer Games were identical. The Organising Committee for the Games in Munich in 1972 broke new ground by having a different reverse, which was designed by a Bauhaus representative, Gerhard Marcks.

Designer: Giuseppe Cassioli; Pedro Ramirez Vasquez; Eduardo Terrazas; Lance Wyman

Composition: 1st Place (Gilt silver), 2nd Place (Silver), 3rd Place (Bronze)

Diameter: 60mm