I had the honor of carrying the Olympic torch for the 2002 Winter Olympics, which was held in Salt Lake City, Utah. The photo accompanying this blog writing is the actual torch that I carried, mounted on the wall of my home. Personally, I could never imagine selling my Olympic torch for any amount. Some keepsakes are priceless! However, there are certainly those who don't value keepsakes, and perhaps several of the Olympic torches for sale on Ebay were obtain from estate sales or were inherited... the recipients only wanting to cash in on the value of the torches.
Olympic torches are some of the rarest and most desirable of all Olympic collectibles. Unlike Olympic pins, which are fairly cheap and commonly available, an Olympic torch can cost an obscene amount of money. I recently learned that there are only two collectors in the world who own a complete collection of both the summer and winter Olympic torches.
It surprises me how many Olympic torchbearers put their torch up for sale! During the 2012 Olympic Games in London, there were some torchbearers trying to sell their iconic torches for over $200,000! A few said that they were trying to raise money for charities. Experts note that the most valuable torches are the rare ones. The rarest torches are said to be Helsinki 1952, Squaw Valley 1960, and Innsbruck 1964. Those can sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars. The 1952 Helsinki Summer Games torch sold for nearly $400,000 at an auction in Paris in 2011.
I'll never forget running with the Olympic torch in 2002. My four children cheered me on and at that time they ranged in age from 2 to 8. At the Opening Ceremony for the 2002 Olympic Games -- for the first time in Olympic history -- an entire team (the winning US men’s ice hockey team from the 1980 Winter Games in Lake Placid) lit the Olympic cauldron. I literally had tears in my eyes at that moment as I realized that I had truly been a part of Olympic history.
From Him, Through Him, For Him (Romans 11:36),
Paul J. Staso
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Visit my YouTube channel -- https://www.youtube.com/user/pacetrek
Click on any of the links below to see some of my adventure photos:
- United States in 2006 (3,260 miles solo in 108 days at age 41)
- Montana in 2008 (620 miles solo in 20 days at age 43)
- Alaska in 2009 (500 miles solo in 18 days at age 44)
- Germany in 2010 (500 miles solo in 21 days at age 45)
- The Mojave Desert in 2011 (506 miles solo in 17 days at age 46)
- Various Photos From Mileposts Gone By
- Students Worldwide Who Ran With Me Virtually
- Roadside Sights From My Running Adventures
- Some Cycling Moments From The Past
