France Province   +  Winter Olympic Games

The purchase of Gold medals
Three of the medals awarded to the Olympic champions
It proved a good idea to open exchange agencies at the Malherbe Reception Centre, at the Grenoble Olympic Village, at the Ice Stadium, CHAMROUSSE, AUTRANS and at SAINT-NIZIER on the day of the jumping event. The usual exchange operations took place at these stands which were run by the "Credit Commercial de France".

The buying and selling of foreign bank notes, the negociation of travellers'cheques and ordinary cheques, payment of letters of credit and the opening of temporary accounts for day to day expenses during the Games, were all carried out.
It is interesting to note that, in all the banking establishments, the total funds which changed hands, among the 6,500 representatives of all the Press, amounted to 4 million francs. At the stand of the Malherbe Reception Centre alone, from 17th January to 19th February 1968, the total operations which concerned 1,868 journalists, reached the sum of 912,900 F.
The purchase of gold medals specially struck to commemorate the Games of 1968 was a great success.

Eight hundred gold medals, with a total value of 105,000 F. were sold at the Malherbe exchange counter.