Athletics - SOLD OUT IN EUROPE! Athletics has its roots in ancient Greek history. Today Greeks still refer to Athletics events as classical sports. Its first Olympic Games in 776 BC included a 192.2m sprint know as the one stadium race (equivalent to today’s 200m sprint). The track and field events of the first modern Olympic Games, which took place in Athens in 1896, were: 100m sprint, 1,500m, 110m hurdle race, long jump, triple jump, the pole vault, discus throw, high jump, shot put and the Marathon race, which appeared for the first time as an Olympic competition. During the 13 Olympiads between 776 and 728 BC the Marathon was in fact the only athletic event. On the coin the modern athlete is shown in the starting position, while in the background ancient runners are seen as they are depicted on a black figure vase of the 6th century BC. Each .925 sterling silver coin is presented in an official plush case with a numbered Certificate of Authenticity. USA Customers Click here to Buy Online        Australian Customers Click Here to Buy Online Discus - SOLD OUT IN EUROPE! This event, one of the most “noble” ones, has remained virtually unchanged in the 28 centuries of its history. In antiquity it formed part of the pentathlon, and it required the athlete to bend his legs more, while he did not rotate his body as much as athletes do today. The famous statue of the discus thrower or discobolos by Myron, one of the greatest sculptors of history, stood in the Acropolis of Athens, but all we have today are Roman copies of this work. On the coin, the modern athlete is seen in a half-turn position, while the ancient athlete in the background has been captured in a lively bending motion, the discus high above his head. Measuring 1.57 inches in diameter, each .925 sterling silver proof comes complete in a plush case with a Certificate of Authenticity. USA Customers Click here to Buy Online        Australian Customers Click Here to Buy Online Athletics - Javelin The modern event continues an ancient tradition. Forming part of the pentathlon, javelin throwing took on two forms: a) throwing the javelin for distance and b) throwing the javelin at a target, an event that may be likened to shooting today, and which was performed by athletes on foot or on horseback. The difference between the ancient and the modern javelin was the use of a thong, a strap forming a loop and held by the ancient athlete with his index and middle fingers. The composition on the silver coin depicts the modern athlete running towards the starting point of the throw, and the ancient athlete in the position of preparation for the throw, as he is seen in a 5th – century representation. Housed in an official presentation case, each .925 sterling silver coin comes complete with a numbered Certificate of Authenticity. USA Customers Click here to Buy Online        Australian Customers Click Here to Buy Online Athletics – Long Jump This is also one of the classical track events that has its roots in ancient times. In its modern version it assumes 4 forms (single jump, triple jump, long jump and pole vault), while during some of the more recent Olympiads there was yet another form, that of the jump without momentum. In antiquity only the long jump without momentum existed, and formed part of the pentathlon (although it was also performed as a separate event). When it was performed as part of the pentathlon, the athlete had to hold a jumping-weight in each hand, which he swung vigorously to help him achieve momentum, and dropped behind him before he landed. The composition on the coin portrays a modern athlete as he is hitting the ground, while the ancient athlete in the background is shown at the start of his jump as he is seen on a black-figure vase of the 5th century BC. Measuring over 1.57 inches in diameter, each .925 sterling silver proof coin comes presented in a plush case with a numbered Certificate of Authenticity. USA Customers Click here to Buy Online        Australian Customers Click Here to Buy Online Athletics - Relays Relay races can be traced to the ancient custom of sending messages via a series of couriers (skytalodromoi or ‘runners with message stick’). Each courier handed the stick over to the next until its destination was safely reached. In the relay race there are four runners from each country. Each runner covers a quarter of the distance before handing the baton to the next runner. Changeovers have special rules and techniques and must be made within a specified area. On the coin, three modern athletes run, holding their batons (one is running with his baton in his hand while the other two are at the actual moment of relaying theirs) while the background shows three ancient athletes running a race known as the Dolichos, which was a semi-endurance race of approximately 3,800m. Housed in a plush case with a Certificate of Authenticity, each silver proof coin measures 1.57 inches in diameter. USA Customers Click here to Buy Online        Australian Customers Click Here to Buy Online Equestrian Since prehistoric times people have been riding horses. Two equestrian events, chariot races and horse races, were first included in the 25th ancient Olympic Games competition schedule in 680 BC. By the 19th century, the three Olympic disciplines evolved to their current form. Equestrian events developed primarily from training horses for war. Many reports point to the fact that ancient Greeks used exercises similar to the modern Dressage events, in order to train their horses to move accurately and precisely in the battlefields. Many Olympian coins were struck in antiquity on the occasion of victories in equestrian events. On this composition of the coin, the modern horseman is pictured as he jumps over an obstacle, while in the background the ancient horseman is inspired by a representation on a black-figure vase of the 5th century BC. Struck to the highest proof standards each .925 sterling silver coin is presented in a plush case with a numbered Certificate of Authenticity. USA Customers Click here to Buy Online        Australian Customers Click Here to Buy Online Rhythmic Gymnastics Gymnastics is not only one of the most spectacular and popular Olympic sports it is also among the most ancient. The term derives from the Greek words “gymnos”, naked, and “gymnasion”, training site where the athletes used to gather to exercise, compete in sports and receive training in philosophy, music and literature. Rhythmic Gymnastics is a new form of expression based on the ideas of motion, rhythm and aesthetics that began to develop in the end of the 19th century. The composition on the coin represents a young woman holding a multicoloured ribbon, executing a series of acrobatic figures, whereas the background is a scene taken from terracotta in Lower Italy. Each Gymnastics silver coin is presented in a plush case with a numbered Certificate of Authenticity. USA Customers Click here to Buy Online        Australian Customers Click Here to Buy Online Swimming In ancient times Swimming was a means of physical exercise and recreation. Ancient Greeks were familiar with the art of swimming, as seen on jars and wall paintings from 1600 BC. Breaststroke and freestyle swimmers of the time are portrayed on a silver rhyton (vase) from Mycenae. In the Odyssey, Homer extols Ulysses’ swimming skills. Swimming however was never part of the ancient Olympic Games. On the coin a woman swimmer is depicted preparing to dive from the diving board, while in the background another woman athlete is just about to dive into the water, in a representation inspired by an archaic bronze statuette. Presented in an offical presentation pack with a numbered Certificate of Authenticity, each silver coin is struck to the highest proof standards from .925 sterling silver. USA Customers Click here to Buy Online        Australian Customers Click Here to Buy Online Strength - Weightlifting Although Weightlifting was not included in the ancient Olympic Games sports programme, historical sources indicate that it was very popular as a sport among Greeks, and that weightlifting competitions were held during feasts. A stone weighing 143.5kg which was found at Olympia and dates back to the 6th century BC has an inscription that shows it was a dedicatory offering by an athlete named Bybon, who had lifted it above his head with one hand. A stone weighting 480kg, discovered in Santorini (Thera), bears an inscription that Eumastas had lifted it off the ground. A cup dated about 500 BC, now placed in a museum in Germany, shows a young Athenian male with a garland on his head in the act of lifting two massive stones. This picture and the inscription that accompanies it led to the conclusion that it was about an athlete who had won a Weightlifting competition. On the coin, a weightlifter executes a snatch move (arase): he is standing and holding the weights above his head, while the ancient athlete in the background is attempting to lift two natural stones, in a portrayal inspired by that on a black figure vase of the 6th – 5th century BC. Struck to the highest proof standards and presented in a plush case, each .925 sterling silver coin comes complete with a numbered Certificate of Authenticity. USA Customers Click here to Buy Online        Australian Customers Click Here to Buy Online Handball Handball is considered one of the oldest games in the history of sport. References in Homer’s Odyssey provide evidence of a game similar to Handball, which was played on the island of the Faiakes (Corfu). Another sign is a 3rd century BC bronze statuette found in Dodoni, showing a boy carrying a ball in his hand. Depictions of humans playing a ‘primitive’ form of Handball are also found on a marble plaque found at the Athens Acropolis dating to about 600 BC. On the coin, the modern athlete directs the ball in his hands towards his target, while in the background the ancient athlete is just about to throw a ball in a game known as cheirosphaira, in a representation taken from a black-figure vase of the Archaic period. Each release six silver handball proof coin comes complete with a numbered Certificate of Authenticity, and is presented in an official plush case. USA Customers Click here to Buy Online        Australian Customers Click Here to Buy Online Football Team games involving kicking the ball with one’s feet have been played in various parts of the world for thousands of years. A sample of such games included “Tsu Chu”, a Chinese game which appeared 500 – 600 years later and is still played today, the ancient Greek game “Episkyros” and the Roman “Harpastum”. These games had a pronounced ceremonial and symbolic character. In most cases the ball was the symbol of the sun whose “capture” would guarantee land fertility and good crops. The composition on the coin depicts a modern footballer preparing to kick a ball, while his ancient counterpart is practicing his skill by bouncing a ball on his thigh, this hands tied behind his back, a representation taken from a marble relief dating from the early 4th century BC. Struck from .925 sterling silver and presented in an official plush case, each proof coin comes complete with a numbered Certificate of Authenticity. USA Customers Click here to Buy Online        Australian Customers Click Here to Buy Online