The collection of medals and badges which sold for £2900 at Denhams. It included a steward medal for the 1908 Olympic marathon (top right) which was crucial to the demand.
Lot 241 of the Antiques, Fine Art and Collectables sale at Denhams on July 10 consisted of steward badges and medallions of major sporting events and carried an estimate of £40-60.
One of the medals, however, piqued the interest of bidders and the collection was finally secured for £2900 – 48-times the estimate.
The steward medal for the 1908 marathon is not only a rare example of an Olympic steward's badge, but highly significant due to the role stewards played in the race’s outcome.
With the marathon reaching its final moments, Italian runner Dorando Pietri, tired and dehydrated, fell five times on the home straight at the White City Stadium. He was helped up the last four times by race stewards to finish first, only to be disqualified the next day following a complaint from the American team in second place that the help was unfair.
The US's Johnny Hayes was consequently awarded the gold medal, but because Pietri had no part to play in his unfair advantage, Queen Alexandra awarded him with a gold or silver gilt cup for his efforts.
Whether this particular badge was owned by one of those stewards is unknown, however 1908 Olympic marathon badges are rare compared to other sporting events, contributing to its final hammer price.
