Owens Olympic medal to be auctioned

One of the four gold medals won by US sporting great Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympics is headed to the auction block. SCP Auctions, which specializes in sports memorabilia, says on its website that the medal will be available in its auction running November 20 through December 7. Owens's achievements at the 1936 Berlin Games are the stuff of Olympic legend. He won gold in the 100m, 200m, 4x100m relay and long jump. The achievements of the African American athlete embarrassed German dictator Adolf Hitler, shattering his myth of the supremacy of Aryan competitors. The medal came to the auction house through the estate of Elaine Plaines-Robinson, the wife of entertainer Bill "Bojangles" Robinson who was a friend of Owens. In a video posted on the website, SCP Auctions vice president Dan Imler tells an interviewer that he believes the medal could fetch as much as $1 million, thanks to its historic significance. The Owens medal will be part of an auction that includes memorabilia from various other sports. In May of 2012, SCP Auctions sold a Babe Ruth New York Yankees jersey worn in about 1920 for $4.4 million dollars. Source: AFP