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Sought-after official 1992 Albertville Winter Olympics torch, consisting of a bulbous steel alloy body, measuring 16.5˝ long and 3˝ at its widest point, designed by Philippe Starck and familiarly known as 'La Corne,' or 'The Horn.' The sleek, modernist design resembles a bull's horn or flame when turned upside down, and is engraved at the top with golden lettering, "XVIes Jeux Olympiques d'Hiver 1992," followed by a small emblem of the five Olympic rings and serial number, "103:130." Complete with its burner, lacking the original burner shroud/windscreen. The torch exhibits light scattered marks and scuffs from use.
After the Olympic flame was lit in Olympia, Greece, on December 13, 1991, it was transported from Athens to Paris aboard the supersonic Concorde. The relay route was designed to traverse as much of France as possible, passing through every regional capital, while its 57-day duration echoed the 57 events of the Albertville Games. Carried by 5,500 torchbearers, the flame traveled 5,700 km through the nation, including a procession along the Champs-Élysées and a visit to the childhood home of IOC founder Pierre de Coubertin. Unlike many Olympic relays, in which each torchbearer carries an individual torch, the Albertville torch was passed from runner to runner, resulting in far fewer torches being produced than in most Olympic relays. As a result, the Albertville torch remains one of the rarest and most sought-after Olympic torches of the modern era, with examples seldom offered at public auction.
