Olympics fever is burning in France, not just Paris, but also in the La Monnaie de Paris - The Mint of Paris’ Museum. On the 27^th of March, the museum will open an exhibition on the history of the different Olympic medals, called: Gold, Silver, Bronze. But that's not the only reason to visit!

The symbols of victory - the medals - are at the centre of every sports fan's attention. The exhibition "Gold, silver, bronze" at the French Money Museum, on show until the 29^th of September, aims to tell the story of Olympic medals. The exhibition offers a wealth of knowledge. Did you know, for example, that at the first modern Games in 1896, only the first two winners in an event were awarded a medal: the first silver, the second copper? Few people know that the Games held in 1904 introduced the system of the three medals - gold, silver and bronze. La Monnaie de Paris tells the story of this long journey, while also exploring the specificities of the medals and their symbolism.

Olympic athletes will take home iron waste
There's no shortage of symbols when you take a closer look at the medals to be awarded at the 2024 Paris Olympics, which will include the Eiffel Tower, an opportunity for athletes to take a piece of Paris home with them. The 18-gram hexagon in the medal is made from iron waste from an earlier renovation work on the Eiffel Tower, which has been kept in a secret warehouse until now. The hexagonal inserts are placed in the centre of the front of the Olympic and Paralympic medals, with grooves that resemble rays of light running out to the edges of the medals. On the reverse of the Olympic medals, Nike, the goddess of victory, is depicted in the centre of the central stadium of the first modern Athens Games, with the Acropolis of Athens in the upper left and the Eiffel Tower in the upper right. In total, 5084 such medals will be produced for the Olympics and Paralympics. The medals, designed by the Chaumet jewellery house, are 8.5 centimetres in diameter and 9.2 millimetres thick. The gold medals weigh 529 grams, the silver medals 525 grams and the bronze medals 455 grams.

Wurlitzers, pinball machines and coin-operated devices
Anyone who has stumbled upon the Mint of Paris’ Museum, should not be be in a hurry to leave! It's also worth visiting the parallel exhibition called ‘Insert Coin’, which reminds us of a time when coins, or tokens if you prefer, were a must for a good night out on the town.

It was the magic device that brought to life the pinball machines, foosball tables, bumper cars and jukeboxes that were set up in cafés and arcades. So, La Monnaie de Paris invites those who are receptive to the past to travel back in time and discover a world of wonders from the 1960s to the 2000s. For nostalgics and pop culture fans, it's a must because it takes you back to a time when your pockets were full of coins and if you had enough of them, there was nothing to stop you from enjoying the evening. Of particular interest, La Monnaie de Paris minted tokens for the occasion, which can be used in the exhibition to activate the relics of the past. The exhibition is open from the 1^st of March to the 30^th of June in 2024.