|
The First Olympic Commemorative
Coin |
The 15th Olympic game was held in Helsinki
from July. 19th to Aug. 3rd. 1952. In commemoration of the
game, Finland issued a silver coin which is now regarded as
the beginning of Olympic commemorative coins.
Since then, raise funds for Olympic games through issuing commemorative
coins became an important
organizing work for Olympic games.
The first Olympic coin is a silver coin, weighs 12g, 50% in
purity, 32mm in diameter, the face value
is 500markkas. The obverse design features the title of Finland,
face value circled by image of cherry
bay. The reverse design features the 15th Olympic Games held
in Helsinki, the Olympic rings, and the year
of issuance. This series of Olympic coins are classified into
two versions, the respective mintages are 19
thousand pieces of the 1951 version, and 586 thousand pieces
of the 1952 version.
IOC has their own flag, which has five rings of different
colors in white and rimless background,
these rings are what we call Olympic rings. From left to right,
the rings are in blue, yellow, black,
green, and red, signifying the brotherhood of the five continents.
The design of the flag is based on the idea of Baron Pierre
de Coubertin in 1913.
There is a ceremonious handover of the Olympic flag at every
opening ceremony of Olympic Games.
Representative of the hosting city hands in the flag to the
president of the IOC, and the president hands
over the flag to the mayor of the next hosting city. After the
ceremony, the flag will not be hand to the
next city immediately, but will be kept in the hosting city¨s
municipal administrative mansion for 4
years until the next game opens. The Olympic flag raised above
the main arena of any Olympic Games is a
substitute.
As stipulated in the Olympic Charter, ＾Olympic rings￣ is the
symbol of Olympic Games and the special
symbol of the IOC, without the IOC¨s authorization, any organization
or individual is prohibited to use
it for advertising or other commercial purposes. |
|
|
