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Scarce ‘British Olympic Council’ badge from the London 1908 Olympics. Silvered bronze, 41 gm, 57 mm in diameter, stamped on the reverse with a Vaughton of Birmingham maker's mark. The ‘British rose’ badge depicts the head of Athena facing a laurel branch and encircled by a red enameled border with the text, "British Olympic Council, 1908.” A significant badge from an Olympic Games that extended for over six months—the longest in modern history.
The British Olympic Council was instrumental in organizing the London Olympics on short notice after Italy withdrew from hosting due to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The council quickly constructed the White City Stadium, a venue that could hold 68,000 spectators, and introduced the formalization of international sports rules that contributed to the modern structure of the Games today.
