SafeGuard valuation staff were fascinated when an Olympic medal was submitted for valuation recently. The Silver medal was won by Kenilworth born marathon runner Basil Heatley who completed the Marathon at the Tokyo Olympics 1964 in just 2 hours 16 minutes and 19.2 seconds. Earlier that year Heatley broke the world record, running a time of2:13:56 but he was beaten to the Olympic Gold Medal by Ethiopian Abebe Bikila, a second time Olympic winner, famous for winning the 1960 marathon in bare feet. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="150" caption="Basil Heatley receives his Olympic silver medal"][/caption] Still a keen supporter of athletics at the age of 78, Basil’s Silver medal has not been matched by a male British Marathon runner at the Olympics since, although Charlie Spedding came very close, winning bronze in 1984. The medal is enclosed in a plated collar and is still complete with its ribbon and beautiful Japanese box. It tested as pure silver and weighed in at 111.46 grams. SafeGuard staff felt privileged to handle such a significant piece, especially at a time when our Team GB athletes are training so hard to earn one in 2012. If you have any unusual pieces the Safeguard Valuation team is here to help. Call 0871 4237922 or email safeguard@theassayoffice.co.uk

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