09/08/2026
The 1932 Lake Placid Games were historic as they marked the very first Winter Olympics hosted outside of Europe and the first in the United States. Because they took place during the height of the Great Depression, overall participation numbers were quite low, which explains why so few of these gorgeous mementos were manufactured compared to modern Olympic Games. 700 of these participation medals were struck by Robbins Co. of Attleboro Massachusetts. These were handed out to athletes, officials & dignitaries of the games.
The practice of awarding 1st, 2nd & 3rd place medals to athletes on podiums started at these specific games.
252 athletes across 17 nations participated.
FDR opened the games while he was still governor of NY. Only a few months before he was elected president of the United States.
