Black belt worn by Kayla Harrison during the 2012 London Olympic Games when she became the first American (male or female) to win a gold medal in the sport of judo. Harrison began her judo career at age 6 and quickly rose to the top of the junior level field winning the 2003, 2004 and 2005 Junior US Open. in 2008, she became the third American to win the Junior World Championships and in 2010 only the fourth American to win the Senior World Championship. Harrison went on to become the only American to ever win an Olympic gold medal in judo at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games.
The 2012 Summer Olympics, also known as the Games of the XXX Olympiad were held in London, England with 204 countries, 5,992 men and 4,776 women athletes participating. With the inclusion of women’s boxing, these Games became the first with female competitors in every sport and the first at which each country entered, had a female representative. Women’s boxing debuted and mixed doubles in tennis was held for the first time since the 1924 Games. American Michael Phelps won his 22nd medal making him the most decorated Olympic athlete of all time. Every athlete to win a medal at these Games was drug tested and as of 2017, 31 medals had been rescinded due to doping. The United States won the medal count with 104.
The 2016 Summer Olympics, also known as the Games of the XXXI Olympiad were held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with 207 countries and 11,238 athletes participating. These were the first Olympic Games held entirely in the host country’s winter season and the first to be held in South America. These Games were designed with sustainability in mind and many of the features of the Games were made from recyclable materials. The Refugee Olympic Team entered 10 athletes for competition made up of refugees from the European Migrant crisis. The Zika virus was a factor in competition as many athletes decided to forgo the Games for fear of catching the virus spread through mosquitos. Michael Phelps came out of retirement to compete in the Games and added more medals to his historic count. Katie Ledecky won four gold medals and teammate Simone Manual won two gold and two silver medals becoming the first African American to win an individual swimming gold medal. Simone Biles dominated gymnastics, winning four gold and the women’s team won the all-around competition. The United States won the medal count with 121.
Bronze coin mounted inside an easel back coin holder.
The coin is a souvenir from the 1970 dedication of Three Rivers Stadium, former home of Major League Baseball's Pittsburgh Pirates and the National Football League's Pittsburgh Steelers. The Stadium was one of the era's attempts at creating multi-purpose stadiums to host teams from multiple sports.
The Stadium was opened on July 16, 1970 for a game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Cincinnati Reds, and last used on December 16, 2000 for a game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Washington Redskins (now Commanders.) It was demolished on February 11, 2001, with both teams moving to new, separate fields.
Sleeve patch worn on Major League Baseball uniforms during the 1939 season. The patch commemorated The centennial of Baseball although baseball had been played in various forms before 1839. The anniversary gave credence to the myth that Abner Doubleday should receive credit for formalizing the rules of baseball in 1839 in Cooperstown, New York. While Doubleday's actual involvement is disputed today, he was an important figure to those who argued that baseball was strictly an invention of the United States.
1939's Centennial of Baseball coincided with the opening of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York.
Exhibits vending machine postcard featuring Cincinnati Reds baseball player Henry Sauer.
Outfielder Henry “Hank” Sauer played Major League Baseball for the Cincinnati Reds (1941-1942, 1948-49), Chicago Cubs (1949-1955) St. Louis Cardinals (1956) and New York/ San Francisco Giants (1957-1959).
1952’s National League Most Valuable Player and a two-time All-Star, Sauer had a lifetime .266 batting average with 288 home runs and 876 runs batted in.
Black cotton t-shirt from the Este line of clothing started and worn by Brauch. Born with a heart defect, Brauch never let anything hold him back from enjoying life. Inspired by his dad’s love of skateboarding, Tim Brauch (1974-1999) began his career in the late 1980s. He rode for the Sessions team early in his career and picked up sponsors Vans, Independent and New Deal. In 1992 Santa Monica Airlines (SMA) gave Tim his first pro model and shortly after Tim established the Este line of shoes and clothing with his friend and fellow skater Salman Agah. Using the “Es” from Salman and the “Te” from Tim to form “Este”, they were among the first pro skaters to branch out into the shoe and clothing market. At this point Tim left Vans for Etnies footwear and in the mid 1990s switched to Santa Cruz skateboards. In 1998, Tim won the Vans Triple Crown Street Competition although his career was cut short, passing away suddenly of cardiac arrest at the age of 25. His family holds the Tim Brauch Memorial Contest each year to celebrate Tim’s love of skateboarding. They have also established the Tim Brauch Memorial Fund which promotes skateboarding as “a safe, healthy and fun activity.”
Boxing cigarette card with color illustration of Owen Moran on the front of the card. Moran's stats and biography are printed on the back of the card. This card is part of the “Champion Athlete and Prize Fighter Series” by Mecca Cigarettes and Hassan Cigarettes.
Brown leather boots with brown laces and brown stitching. These were worn by the donor, Earl Shaffer, during his hike of the Appalachian Trail in 1948. This was the first of three times Shaffer was said to have walked the entire length of the 2,180 miles of the Trail. He hiked through again in 1965 and 1998. The Appalachian Trail is one of the longest continuously marked footpaths in the world, traveling through fourteen states along the Appalachian mountain range from Springer Mountain, Georgia, to the Trail’s northern end in Katahdin, Maine. The trail—completed in 1937 thanks to the cooperation of government agencies, private partners, and volunteers—continues to be sustained by public-private partnerships.