This is the first time the Winter Games have given the general public a close-up peak at the bronze, silver and gold medals that will be given to the athletes. While the 3 medals we took photos of and touched with white gloves will not be given to the winning athletes, they were made in the exact same way as the awarded medals were. How was I able to get 7-8 whole minutes to take photos of the medals? Let me tell you…
I got up bright and early and made my way to the Mint Pavilion. My early bird co-workers told me that the day before, at 8:00 am, there were about 10 people in line. Today at 8:15 am, there were about a hundred people already in line. Armed with my coffee and my camera, I patiently waited in this line:
The Mint Pavilion opens up at 9:00. By 9:30 I was already in the building after being stamped on the hand with today’s date.
The building is awesome inside – it has a beautiful ceiling and and staircases. And there’s a great big coin graphic on the floor with the Inukshuk logo on it.
At 9:38, I was given a white glove. WHOA! We get to touch them? OH YAH!
That’s an added bonus. I had no idea I would be able to touch them.
Next, we are given some friendly instructions TWICE about medal etiquette. We were told we could not put the medals too close to our necks and that we were not to “bite or kiss the medals”. Clearly some people before us got a little carried away in the special medal room. We were told we get 7-8 minutes in the medal area for about 20 people at a time. Get your cameras ready.
9:59 am – 1, 2, 3, SHOOT!
As we all took turns taking photos quickly and courteously (mind you, one person DID tell me to hurry up. Jerkface.) The guy next to me handed me his camera to take his photo and he, in turn, took my photo with me holding the gold medal – no where near my neck or teeth.
I just have one question. What is happening with my hair in this photo? The side part looks like a little boy’s hair all slicked back for church. I’ll do better tomorrow.
The medals look like this:
Bronze:
Each design is different, so each winning athlete will get an original piece of art on his/her medal. It weighs over a pound. It really felt heavy in my hand, so I can only imagine how it would feel around someone’s neck. I think it will definitely be worn in very special occasions – like Christmas dinner.
Silver:
This is what the back of all the medals look like. I believe the winner’s name will also be engraved on them. They really are cool – they don’t lay flat – they are all wavy.
Gold:
And with that, my 7 minutes with the medals were finished. I put my white glove in the recycling bin and headed over to the quarter exchange to get a pin at 10:06.
Another pavilion successfully experienced in just under 2 hours. Not bad, considering the line up was WAY past the 3.5 hour mark when I left.
A few more photos of the building and medals can be seen here.
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The metals kind of remind me of putting pennies on the train track. All flat and squashy. Squishing coins was an activity that never grew old when I lived in White Rock!
Hey! You’re right about that. We used to do that in Calgary, too.
Wow neat!! I’m so glad you got to see them- how cool!!
We used to do that too with pennies- Lady K when did you live in White Rock- that was my old hometown!
I squshed my pennies in Salmon Arm. That was a wee while ago. The last time I squished a penny it was at the San Diago Aquarium. That American penny has an octapus on it now, superimposed on some past president’s head.
That is neet to see the medals. A whole pound! Whoa. That is a lot of metal. So some people have been testing the quality of the Canadian Mint, have they? I don’t have experience biting gold. All the gold I have is alloyed a fair bit and doesn’t dent when it is bitten. It is nice all the same.
Do show us the pin, K?
Carol, how cool is that. Thank you for the pictures. Isn’t that building beautiful, i just loved it. I can’t remember what it was. Must have been a bank.
Someone at work said it used to be a Bank of Montreal way back when.
The medals are really lovely! I’m very jealous that you got to touch them, even if you weren’t allowed to bite them. Boo regulations!
About the wearing of them. One of my former field hockey teammates has an Olympic medal, and she told me she’s tempted to wear it all the time. Not in an obvious way, but under her shirt during work and things like that. She said she doesn’t though, which I thought was a pity but completely understandable. I don’t know if it’s as big at these medals, but it’s big enough to be getting on with!
That’s awesome, Mags. Sneakily wearing an Olympic medal to regular day events. I love that idea. And being her co-worker and thinking, “Did I just see a flash of an Olympic medal under her winter coat just then?”
Hi, That is awesome. My sister went up from the USA here for a game of Hockey…but did not do this that I know of!…Do you know by chance the Locations of the Olympic Elongated Penny squishers? I here there are pennys, dimes and nickel designs to be found…help a gal out..thanks!
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