Have you always dreamed about owning a piece of Olympic history? Now you can. And depending on what you’re interested in, it might not cost you that much “gold.”
The Rio 2016 Olympic Organizing Committee is auctioning off a whole slew of sports memorabilia items from the Rio Olympic Games. The items include:
- National flags used during the opening ceremony
- The torch used to carry the Olympic flame to the cauldron
- Match-used balls
- Podia and trays used during medal ceremonies
- Other sporting equipment used in the games
Click here to access the official auction site.
Although getting your hands on an Olympic torch used to bring the Olympic flame from Athens to Rio might set you back a bit — auction prices for the torches start at $1,500 — the opening bid to snag a ball played during first-round tennis matches for less than $50.
As of Friday afternoon, these were some of the most popular (and highest-priced) items up for auction:
- The Israeli flag carried during the opening ceremony. Bid prices topped $3,100.
- The torch Brazilian marathon runner Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima used to light the flame of the Olympic cauldron. The bid price is about $4,200.
- Brazil’s flag used during the opening ceremony. Bid prices hovered around $2,500.
According to CNBC, the auction will remain active until the end of October. Money made from the auction will be used to help fund the games.
In other Olympic auction news, Alexander Historical Auctions says a 10.5-inch steel torch from the notorious 1936 Olympics, which was held in Berlin during Adolf Hitler’s Nazi dictatorship, will be up for sale in Maryland on Aug. 23-24.
How much would you pay to own a piece of Olympic history? Sound off below or on our Facebook page.
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