COLLECTING THE 1936 BERLIN OLYMPICS

Germany typically issued several types of ancillary medals to celebrate the Games. All athletes received the bronze Deutsche Olympia Erinnerungsmedaille (German Olympic Participation Medallion) classed as very rare: AU eBay has one on sale for A$1,600 (£845) but beware of fakes. A very economical item is the 1936 Berlin Olympics Commemorative Medal and ribbon, which can be found on eBay for around £15. A nice reproduction set of the 1936 Olympic gold, silver and bronze winner’s medals are on a German eBay website for €49.95 reduced to €19.98 (£17). Reproduction posters sized 11in x 17in, similar to the one featured in the main article, are widely available between £12 to £20 dependant on paper or parchment. Also currently available on UK eBay is a 52-page Day Program for 16/08/36 for £114, which covers the final equestrian events and the closing ceremony. Lastly, don’t forget Leni Reifenstahl’s film of the 1936 Olympics, Olympia - Festival of Nations which is available on DVD for £12 from Amazon, or the book record, Olympia. You won’t find an original version of this unless one comes up at an auction, but the 1983 Taschen multi-lingual reprint version is worth trying to find. Expect to pay anything from £100-£500 for one, depending on condition.

For anyone visiting modern day Germany, Meissen House, the original dormitory building inside the 1936 Olympic Village, has been fully restored and is now open to the public, including the room occupied by Jesse Owens.