One of four gold medals that American Olympic legend Jesse Owens won at 1936 Olympics in Berlin goes under the hammer by the Laguna Niguel-based auction house, SCP Auctions. One of the most famous Olympic medals in history expected to exceed $1 million in the online auction that runs from Nov. 20 – Dec. 7. “We think this is a seven-figure piece,” SCP Auctions president David Kohler told ESPN. “We expect to see a good deal of international interest and could see some institutions bidding. This is so much bigger than a piece of sports memorabilia. It’s a piece of history.”
Owens gave the medal to his friend, the dancer and movie star Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, as a thank you for helping Owens find work in entertainment after he returned from Berlin. The medal is being sold by the estate of Robinson’s late widow, Elaine Plaines-Robinson.
Owens famously won four gold medals ( in the 100- and 200-meter dash, the long jump and as a member of the 4×100 meter relay team) while competing in front of Adolf Hitler in Berlin. Whereabouts of the other three is unknown.
