Rare Olympic torch sold for €124,000 at auction

Originally purchased for a fraction of its eventual value, the artefact exceeded its auction estimate of €2,200 by more than 50 times. The extraordinary sale highlights the potential historical and financial value of seemingly ordinary and easily overlooked second-hand objects found at markets.

The 41-centimetre aluminium torch weighs approximately half a kilogram and is one of fewer than ten surviving examples.

Designed for the equestrian events of the 1956 Olympics in Stockholm, it was never used and was later converted into a wall lamp.

The equestrian competitions were held separately from the Melbourne Games due to Australia’s strict horse quarantine regulations. The sale also established a record for the auction house’s Helsingborg premises.