The Christie's auction house announced that the value of the 15 cm silver cup is estimated at between 120.000 and 160.000 pounds (143.000 to 190.000 euros).
He also said that this cup will be the central part of the auction that will take place on April 18, just three months before the start of the Olympic Games in London, while in the same auction will be presented authentic posters and torches of the Olympic Games.
"This is probably one of the most impressive Olympic memorabilia we've seen," said Christie's specialist Nicolet Tomkinson.
A relic of the modern Olympic History of our country comes under the "hammer" due to the indifference of the Ministry of Culture to respond to the repeated calls of our Olympic grandson to buy the Greek state the cup won by Spyros Louis in his first 1896 Modern Games.
For its part, however, the house denied that the family of Spyros Louis was forced to sell the silver cup, due to the financial crisis, noting that their first communication on the subject was many years ago.
A copy of this cup is available at the International Olympic Committee in Lausanne.
Runner's grandson Spyros Louis explains why he takes it out on the hammer
"I had to auction this legendary cup to settle some of my financial obligations. "I had to help my children and my family in some way in view of the national upheaval", says the grandson of Spyros Louis.
The eponymous grandson of the great Greek marathon runner, a retired maintenance engineer today, tells newsbeast.gr that he started this process two years ago. "For two years now, through various channels, I have been trying to get in touch with the Ministry of Culture. Through the municipality of Marathon, SEGAS, everyone was trying to help me. Only the municipality of Maroussi did not bother me because it has done a lot for Spyros Louis ".
He continues: "The initial economic estimate of the Greek state was much lower than what Christis offered. However, I learned from the Ministry of Culture that there was no money to buy the silver cup from the Greek state. I can not do anything more. If they do not have money, then they simply do not have it. But I had to sell it even though it had never left our house. It was passed down from generation to generation. "
"May the cup stay in Greece!"
The grandson of the legendary runner, despite the contract he has signed with the British house, wishes as much as anything else the cup that his grandfather won in 1986 to stay in Greece.
"I definitely want him to stay in Greece, I have been trying for so many years. It will be a great joy if this goal is actually achieved ", he notes. He stresses that even if the municipality of Maroussi, which launched a campaign to raise the money, raises the amount of about 160.000 pounds, it can not break the contract to prevent the auction.
"A contract has been signed with the house and we can no longer prevent the auction. Even if the money is raised to keep the cup in Greece, it must be decided by Christie's. "It is no longer my issue," he concludes.
Source: Newsbeast.gr