Bobby Pearce Olympic Gold Medals To Be Auctioned Off At Bonhams

On 4 April, HTBS wrote about an interesting sale at the auction house Bonhams in London. It was Frederick Septimus Kelly’s 1905 Pineapple Trophy Goblet (Diamond Challenge Sculls at Henley Royal Regatta), which was sold for £3,800 (exclusive of premium and VAT).

Bobby Pearce at the 1932 Olympic Games.

 

 

In time for the Olympic Games in London this summer, on 24 July, Bonhams will be holding an Olympic Games sale and among the many sport treasures will be a lot including Henry ‘Bobby’ Pearce’s Olympic gold medals in the single sculls from Amsterdam in 1928 and Los Angles in 1932, and other rowing memorabilia which belonged to him.

Bobby Pearce (1905-1976) began to row early, having rowing in his blood. His grandfather, Harry Pearce, Sr., was Australian sculling champion and so was his father, Harry Pearce Jnr., who also tried, unsuccessfully, to become professional World Sculling Champion, racing Dick Arnst in 1911 and Ernest Barry in 1913. Bobby Pearce turned professional after the 1932 Olympic Games, taking the world title in 1933 by beating Ted Phelps.

In an interview Bobby Pearce’s son, Bobby Jnr., said about the sale: “This is a remarkable archive of Olympic and Australian memorabilia, paying homage to my father’s great sporting achievements. I would hope that a suitable home for this collection could be found in Australia.”

At the Bonhams auction Bobby Pearce medals and his other rowing memorabilia will appear with a pre-sale estimate of £30,000-50,000. It is very likely to bring in much more. Catalogue will be available four weeks before the auction. Go to Bonhams here.