Medal from first modern Olympics fetches three times estimate at auction

A medal awarded at the first modern Olympic Games smashed auction estimates, selling for about four times its expected high price at a Danish auction house on Sunday.

The silver medal from the 1896 Athens Olympics was hammered down for DKK 900,000 ($141,658.67) excluding buyer’s premium, or DKK 1,152,000 ($181,323.09) including fees, at Bruun Rasmussen Arts Auctioneers’ online sale. The piece had been estimated to fetch between DKK 200,000-300,000 ($31,480-$47,220).

Engraved by French artist Jules-Clement Chaplain...