The Olympic torch held by Caitlyn Jenner (then Bruce) in Lake Tahoe, Nev., during the decathlon in 1984 will be up for auction Thursday.
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Jenner won the gold medal in the decathlon in the 1976 Olympics.
Jenner had been approached by hotel Caesars Tahoe to carry the torch as a part of its agenda to give back to the community and support local youth programs.
“This is a seminal artifact, not just of baseball, but of American history”, Chris Ivy, director of sports auctions for Heritage, said in a statement.
Lorsch, the consignor, will not accept a bid for the Jenner torch that is less than $15,000, Fleisher said.
A circa-1860s Brooklyn Atlantics team baseball card sold for more than $179,000.
The pre-Civil War card will be sold at auction on July 30, at the National Sports Collectors Convention in Chicago. It shows her great-great-uncle Archibald McMahon, an outfielder for the squad, pictured with eight of his teammates in bib-style shirts and two gentlemen in suits.
Now, Dallas-based Heritage Auctions will auction that torch Thursday.
“My mother gave it to me about 25 years ago”, the 75-year-old Brooklyn native said in an interview last month.
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The Atlantics have been a founding member of the Nationwide Affiliation of Base Ball Gamers – the game’s first organized league that held the championship from 1859 via 1861. An undated newspaper clipping pasted to the again lists the gamers’ names.
