Three Olympic torches from games spanning over 70 years are up for sale.
The torches, each with a different design, are from the 1948 London Olympics, the 2016 Rio games and the 2020 Tokyo event.
They are being auctioned in March and surprisingly, the most modern torch from Tokyo 2020 has the highest estimate at £5,000 to £8,000.
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It was never used due to Covid restrictions.
It is described as being made from cherry blossom pink-coloured aluminium, designed by Tokujin Yoshioka Inc., in an original cardboard case.
“The design on the top is in the form of a five-petal cherry blossom that each holds a flame that comes together as one flame in the centre, made from a single sheet of aluminium, 30% of it made from recycled aluminium from temporary prefabricated housing construction after the 2011 earthquake, as a symbol of peace.
“Due to Covid-19, the torch relay had originally been planned to last over 121 days, but plans were shelved.”
The London 1948 torch has an estimate of £1,800 to £2,000.
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It is described as an aluminium bearer’s torch, designed by Ralph Lavers, the bowl with hollowed Olympic rings and inscribed, ‘XIVTH Olympiad 1948, Olympia To London, With Thanks To The Bearer’.
The 2016 Rio torch has an estimate of £1,000 to £1,5000.
It is described as, ‘designed by Chelles e Hayashi, manufactured by Recam Laser, comprised of several recycled aluminium sections and distinguished by its unique mechanism, which, when passed between torch bearers, allows it to expand 5.5cm vertically towards its flame, simulating the movement of an athlete, when expanded, the undulating sections, coated with a pearl white epoxy resin, reveal a rainbow of different colours within, chosen by the designers to symbolise elements of Brazil’s landscape – golden sun, green mountains, blue sea and Copacabana’s dark blue sidewalks, in the original tube, lacking lid, 75cm long, with the residue of being used’.
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They will go under the hammer at Graham Budd Auctions with a host of other sporting items from 3 March to 6 March, as reported by What’s The Jam.
David Convery, head of sporting memorabilia at Graham Budd Auctions in Wellingborough, Northants said:
“The Tokyo 2020 torch is particularly special, as it represents a moment in time when the world came to a standstill. It’s not just a piece of sporting memorabilia, it’s a reminder of a truly unprecedented period in global history.”
