Object ID
2009.1.10
Object Name
Buckle, Belt
Date Created
1960
Event
1960 Olympic Boxing Competition
Material
Metal
Object Entities
Spanakos, Peter (owned by)
Spanakos, Peter (is related to)
Spanakos, Nick (is related to)
Object Description
This commemorative belt buckle is composed of two rectangular pieces of metal; the frame and the face. The frame is an outline of a rectangle with the left side unconnected and the right side bent back to allow a belt to pass between its arms. The face of the buckle sits at the center of the frame. On the left side of the face, written vertically, are the words "Olimpiadi 1960" and horizontally across the bottom is the word "Roma." A lit olympic torch takes up the remaining space on the face. On the back of the face is a rounded spike to attach the buckle to a belt.
Origin
The buckle was donated by boxer Peter Spanakos. Peter Spanakos was a successful boxer in the 1950s and '60s in New York City and Chicago but he never made it to the Olympics. Pete's brother Nick competed in the 1960 Olympics as a boxer but lost in the first round to Boris Nikanorov representing the Soviet Union. This belt buckle no doubt was originally Nick's.

Mohammed Ali (Then Cassius Clay) won boxing's light-heavyweight gold medal at this Olympics in 1960. Less influentally, Eddie Crook won the gold medal for Middleweight and Wilbert McClure won the gold medal for Light Middelweight.
Rights and Reproduction
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Any other use, such as exhibition, publication, or commercial use, is not allowed except by written permission in accordance with the NHM Image Rights and Reproduction Policy.

For questions on image rights and reproduction, please contact nhmcollections@hellenicmuseum.org
Citation
Buckle, Belt, 1960, National Hellenic Museum, https://collections.nationalhellenicmuseum.org/Detail/objects/9757. Accessed 04/18/24.