MUSEUM OF WORLD ATHLETICS HERITAGE EXHIBITION

Located in Etele Plaza Budapest’s newest shopping mall

 (3rd Floor, Etele Plaza, Budapest, Hadak útja 1, 1119 Hungary)

The exhibition will be open to the public for five months

 starting 14th April 2023  –  closing 27th August 2023

PARTNERS OF THE EXHIBITION

PowerPlay Studio
Museum of World Athletics

ABOUT OUR COLLECTION

History
The history of coins with sports motifs began in 1951 when the first official coin was issued on the occasion of the upcoming 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki. It was intended not only for collections but also as a common currency in Finland with the value of 500 “Markkaa”.

Since then, the popularity of the sports motif in numismatics has been steadily increasing. At the same time, it is a fact that sports coins are among the most sought-after collectibles.

Largest collection

One of the largest collections of sports and Olympic coins is located in Slovakia. Thanks to sports enthusiasts from the Coin&Co Group and their partners, a selection of more than 8,000 coins from 62 countries are being presented to the public in Hungary for the first time. The collection’s uniqueness also lies in the fact that the owners have been enhancing it with autographs of sports legends for several years. Thanks to this, they create a unique part of the heritage of sports history from the collection.

Coins from biggest stars

Among the exhibits on display are coins signed by some of the biggest track and field stars. One of them is the incredible US sprinter Allyson Felix, the most decorated female athlete in Olympic history with 11 medals (including 7 golds). Another is Javier Sotomayor from Cuba, Olympic champion and world record holder in the high jump. His best indoor high jump performance of 243 cm, which he achieved in Budapest in 1989, remains unbeaten to this day. Of course, the collection also includes the Hungarian Olympic champion in the hammer throw and multiple winners of The Gyulai István Memorial, Krisztián Pars, or American with Hungarian roots Joe Kovacs, 2-time Olympic silver medalist in the shot put.

The collection is growing all the time and after the premiere exhibition at the Slovak Olympic and Sports Museum in 2022, the World Athletics Championships in Budapest 2023 will be the only occasion this year when an exhibition of this collection will be accessible to the general public. 

Something you might not know

Something you might not know: Issuing of sports Olympic coins used to be one of the most important income pillars for the Olympic movement. Profits from coin sales were not surpassed until 1984 by television rights revenue for the Los Angeles Olympics but still contributed $73.5 million to the Games’ budget that year. Athletic motifs appeared on coins for the first time on the occasion of the Olympic Games in Montreal, Canada in 1976. They were classic athletic disciplines: marathon, men’s hurdles, women’s shot put, and javelin throw.

Information about the collection in a nutshell
  • More than 8000 coins from 65 sporting events including 38 Olympic Games
  • 592 signed sports legends
  • Autographs from athletes from 53 countries around the world
  • Autographs from athletes from 32 different sports
  • Coins from 62 different countries
  • The oldest autograph is from Helsinki 1952 by the Olympic javelin champion Dana Zátopková from Czechoslovakia

SPORT LEGENDS COLLECTION IN NUMBERS

Different countries

Athletes

+ Coins in collection

COLLECTION OF SPORT LEGENDS

TOKIO 2020

TOKIO 2020

(SWE) Armand Duplantis

Slovakia 2020
Olympic Games Tokio 2020
Set of euro coins Proof + Silver token

FINLAND 1952

TOKIO 2020

(CZE) Dana Zátopková

Athletics
FINLAND 1952
Olympic Games Helsinki 1952
Silver coin BU 500 Markka

SLOVENSKO 2OO2

TOKIO 2020

(SVK) Peter Bondra

Hockey
Slovakia 2002
Hockey World Championship 2002
Gold stamp of the winners Proof

USA 2OO2

TOKIO 2020

(NOR) Ole Einar Bjorndalen

Biathlon
USA 2002
Winter Olympic Games 2002
Salt Lake City 2002, Silver coins Proof 1 dollar

RIO DE JANEIRO 2016

TOKIO 2020

(SVK) Matej Tóth

Athletics
Olympic Games 2016
Brasil – Rio De Janeiro
Set of euro coins Proof + Silver token

Pyeong Chang 2O18

TOKIO 2020

(SVK) Peter Bondra

Biathlon
Olympic Games 2018
PyeongChang 2018
Set of euro coins Proof + Silver token

PREVIOUS EXHIBITION

Autographs of sports legends in numismatics

On Saturday, October 8, 2022, an unusual exhibition, the first, took place in Bratislava of its kind in Slovakia and was also unique on a global scale.

Selection from one of the largest sports numismatic collections, enriched for the signatures of sports legends, it will be possible to visit the Olympic and Sports Museum in Slovakia, in the Exhibition Hall of prof. Vladimir Černušák, in the House of Sport at Junácká 6. The exhibition lasted until November 21 2022.

PowerPlay Studio
Slovenské Olympijské a Športové Múzeum