Gold, Silver and Bronze

“Gold, silver and bronze”: the great and small history of the medal

Monnaie de Paris has the immense privilege of making the medals that will be awarded to the athletes at the Games this summer!

• “Gold, Silver and Bronze” is a dive into the history of the medal and its evolution through modern games
• Intimately linked to the creation of the Olympic medal and to the metal trades, La Monnaie de Paris is obviously the emblematic place and the privileged witness of the history of this object in Paris and provides us with precious insights
• When was the first medal? Where and by whom was it conceived?
• The exhibition sheds light on this award, the symbols, allegories and meanings of the engravings so precise on such a small medium
• It explores the technique and “medallist” tools of artists and presents a selection of sports medals
• With the help of documents loaned by the Geneva Museum dedicated to Olympism and the Nice National Sports Museum, we trace contemporary history, the object of all desires, to the crystal medals made by Lalique
• Monnaie de Paris has issued for the occasion (since 2021) a series of collector’s coins in precious metal, medallions and paperweights celebrating the Games