(C) Mourning the Ancient

[Above: Close-up of the eagle from the Olympic bell.]

[Above: This is the box to a 3rd class German Olympic medal. Ironically this box is many times rarer than the medal itself. Click to enlarge.]

[Above: Box opened. This 3rd class German Olympic medal was awarded to civilians and foreigners who assisted with the planning of the Olympic games. Click to enlarge.]

[Above: Front of medal. Click to enlarge.]

[Above: Reverse of medal. Click to enlarge.]

[Above: A view of the stadium from the outside.]

[Above: ...]

[Above: This is (left to right) Jeannette Campbell, Rie Mastenbroek and Gisela Arendt.]

[Above: Medal presentation: Silvano Abbà-Italy (3rd place) Gotthard Handrick-Germany (1st place) and Charles Leonard-USA (2nd place).]

[Above: Japanese gold medal winner bows while the Japanese national anthem is played. Behind her is second place winner Martha Genenger (Germany) and third place winner Inge Sorensen.]

[Above: Adolf Hitler with Olympian Tilly Fleischer, winner of the gold medal in the javelin. She holds an oak sapling, given to the athletes as gifts from Germany. To the left are Hermann Göring and Albert Speer.]

[Above: Another shot of Adolf Hitler during the Olympics - Tilly Fleischer is on his right.]

[Above: I'm not sure what they are doing? Tilly Fleischer is on the left...]

[Above: German Olympian Tilly Fleischer, gold medallist for Germany in the women's javelin.]

[Above: ...]

[Above: From left to right: Hungary's Ibolya Csak (Gold), Germany's Elfriede Kaun (Bronze) and Britain's Dorothy Odam (Silver).]

[Above: Winter Olympics.]

[Above: The Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung, or Berlin Illustrated Newspaper.]

[Above: Olympics postal label in English.]

[Above: Olympic-themed postage stamp set.]

[Above: Olympic-themed postal souvenir sheets with special Olympic bell cancels. Click to enlarge.]

[Above: Above souvenir sheets used on envelopes.]

[Above: Another souvenir sheet used on envelopes.]

[Above: A special Olympic sheet showing all eight stamps in the commemorative set.]

[Above: A set of German souvenir sheets from 1985 showing the 1936 Olympics stamps. It says 'Sonderdruck der Stiftung Deutsche Sporthilfe' (Special edition of the German Sports Aid Foundation).]

[Above: A German souvenir sheet unrelated to the Olympics, but used with Olympic cancels, including the fact that it was sent via the Hindenburg to New York.]

[Above: A cancel different from the rest, it says 'Berlin Ausstellung' (Berlin Exhibition).]

[Above: An Olympic machine cancel.]

[Above: An Olympic cancel.]

[Above: A rare Olympic postcard.]

[Above: Reverse of postcard.]

[Above: Postcard showing the route the Olympic torch runners took from Greece to Berlin.]

[Above: Reverse of postcard.]

[Above: Postcard showing the Olympic flag, 1936.]

[Above: Reverse of postcard.]

[Above: Postcard showing gymnastics.]

[Above: Reverse of postcard.]

[Above: Two years later, a sporting event held in Breslau.]

[Above: Breslau sporting event advertisement, from the Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung, July 28, 1938, number 30.]

[Above: Breslau sporting event, taken from the Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung, August 4, 1938, number 31.]

[Above: 1937 postcard from the NSKOV (Nationalsozialistische Kriegsopferversorgung, or The National Socialist War Victim's Care). This organization was created by National Socialist Germany to help seriously wounded veterans as well as frontline fighters of World War I.]

[Above: Close-up.]

[Above: Hmmm...?]

[Above: 'Volk und Rasse' = People and Race, circa 1939.]

[Above: 'Allgemeiner Wegweiser für Jede Familie' = General Signpost for Every Family.]

[Above: 'Erste Grossdeutsche Schwimm-Meisterschaften - Darmstadt 8.-10. Juli 1938' = 'First Greater German Swim Championships - Darmstadt 8.-10. July 1938']

[Above: National Socialist League of the Reich for Physical Exercise (NSRL) membership stamps, October/March 1937/1938.]

[Above: National Socialist League of the Reich for Physical Exercise (NSRL) membership stamps October/March 1938/1939]

[Above: National Socialist League of the Reich for Physical Exercise (NSRL) membership stamps, April/September 1939]

[Above: German War-Skiing Championships in Spindelmeuhle. This postcard is advertising ski championships in the Sudetenland.]

[Above: Special cancel on the back of the postcard.]

[Above: German decal advertising 'Besucht die Kriegsmarinestadt Kiel im Olympiajahr 1936' (Visit the navy city of Kiel in the Olympic year 1936). Click to enlarge.]

[Above: The streets decorated for the Olympic games.]

[Above: A German athlete shows his support of Adolf Hitler. Note Mein Kampf and other books on the table.]

[Above: 1936 Winter Olympics]

[Above: Berlin decorated for the 1936 Olympics]

[Above: 1936 Olympics]

[Above: 1936 Olympic Stadium showing a statue of Nike, the Goddess of Victory at the Reichssportfeld.]

[Above: Even the Brandenburg Gate is decorated for the 1936 Olympics.]

[Above: Runner with Olympic torch. Click to enlarge]

[Above: Envelope with Olympic torch runner.]

[Above: Wow, that's a cool eagle! Berlin Olympics Village Arena Reichssportsfeld, 1936.]

[Above: Wow, this is a cool picture. The girl here is at the 1936 Olympics selling postcards. What a neat looking armband -- this eagle design was used during the Olympics.]

[Above: Here is the postcard the girl above is holding. There are two versions of this, a 6+4 and a 15+10.]

[Above: Now that's an alarm clock! This is one of many cool souvenirs sold during the 1936 Olympics.]

[Above: A strange eagle design used for the 1936 Berlin Olympics. It looks cooler in the next photo.]

[Above: Different color postcard.]

[Above: This is cool! A photo of the actual Olympic bell. It looks like the photo has been touched up a bit, doesn't it? The eagle looks kind of strange. This was a normal practice before publication back in the day.
It says 'Olympia-Glocke für die Olympischen Spiele in Berlin 1936
Hergestellt und für die Olympischen Spiele 1936 gestiftet von der ältesten Gußstahl-Glockengießerei der Welt.'
(Olympic bell for the Olympic Games in Berlin 1936 - Made and donated for the 1936 Olympics by the oldest cast steel bell foundry in the world.)
Bochem is a city in Western Germany with a history of mining and steel production.]

[Above: The Olympic bell... being delivered to the stadium site?]

[Above: The Olympic bell.]

[Above: An Olympic bell poscard.]

[Above: Note this bell has the Brandenburg Gate on it. Is this the reverse of one of the bells above?]

[Above: Another Olympic postcard. It says 'Zur Ehre des Vaterlandes - Zum Ruhme des Sports' (To the glory of the fatherland - To the glory of sport).]

[Above: Postcard with Olympic map.]

[Above: Postcard advertising the 'Olympische Segelwettkämpfe' (Olympic sailing competitions).]

[Above: Postcard cancel close-up.]

[Above: Postcard advertising the 'Olympische Segelwettkämpfe' (Olympic sailing competitions).]

[Above: Postcard cancel close-up.]

[Above: Postcard showing Berlin decorated for the Olympics. Front.]

[Above: Postcard showing Berlin decorated for the Olympics. Reverse.]

[Above: Olympics postcard.]

[Above: The symmetry is magnificent.]

[Above: Olympics postcard.]

[Above: German athlete Erwin Wegner... check out that cool shirt!]

[Above: Olympics philatelic sheetlet.]

[Above: English/German Olympics advertising stamp.]

[Above: English/German Olympics advertising stamp. You'll note it says 'Printed in Germany', this is a requirement for export.]

[Above: Italian/German Olympics advertising stamp (damaged).]

[Above: Postcard with BDM maidens. Front.]

[Above: Postcard with BDM maidens. Reverse.]

[Above: Olympics cancel and stamp.]

[Above: Olympics postcard.]

[Above: Olympic Winter Games postcard.]

[Above: Olympic stadium with a Zeppelin overhead.]

[Above: Olympics postcard.]

[Above: An interesting Olympics postcard from Greece.]

[Above: Olympics postcard.]

[Above: Olympics advertising stamp.]

[Above: Olympics postcard. Front.]

[Above: Olympics postcard. Back.]

[Above: Olympics postcard -front.]

[Above: Olympics postcard - reverse.]

[Above: Olympics postcard - front.]

[Above: Olympics postcard - reverse.]

[Above: Olympics postcard - front.]

[Above: Olympics postcard - reverse.]

[Above: Olympics postcard - front.]

[Above: Olympics postcard - reverse.]

[Above: On Adolf Hitler's birthday guests gather to see the plans for the Olympic stadium.]

[Above: Olympics postcard.]

[Above: Olympics postcard - front.]

[Above: Olympics postcard - reverse.]

[Above: Olympics postcard check out the swastikas on that gate! - front.]

[Above: Olympics postcard - reverse.]

[Above: Olympics postcard - front.]

[Above: Olympics postcard - reverse.]

[Above: Olympics phtoo - front.]

[Above: Olympics postcard - reverse. This was used by a news agency. Note that on the front of the photo an editor has outlined her features to stand out better when reproduced.]