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| Tom Kuhn No Jive - 1984 Olympic Gold Medal LE (Model C) |
| Exhibit #3945 |
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| Type | Prototype |
| Shape | Standard (-) |
| Axle | Fixed |
| Finish | Stained |
| Color | Maple |
| Construction | Three piece wood |
| Response | None |
| Gap | Fixed |
| Condition | Mint |
| Date | 1984 |
| Owner | Rick Brough |
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Tom Kuhn No Jive Olympics Gold Medal, Model C maple yo-yo made for the 1984 summer Olympics in Los Angeles. This maple yo-yo is in a Classic configuration and has a different laser engraving on each convex side.
Early Tom Kuhn No Jive yo-yo models were available in one of two configurations:
• Model C - Classic configuration (also known as Traditional, Tournament, or Imperial shape)
• Model F - Flying Camel configuration (also known as Bowtie or Butterfly shape).
Most of the dismantleable No Jive yo-yos that Tom sold in the early days of Tom Kuhn Yo-Yos were in a Model C configuration as seen in this exhibit. That is, they were sold in the traditional tournament shape with the laser engraving on the face of each halve. Even though you could buy a Model C configuration and turn it into a Flying Camel (Model F) or a Pagoda Yo (also known as Piggyback) shape, most people left their yo-yo in its original configuration at the time they bought it. Interestingly -- though not surprising -- no Tom Kuhn yo-yo model was ever sold in the odd Pagoda Yo configuration.
There were three different Tom Kuhn prototypes made for the Games of the XXIII Olympiad held from July 28 to August 12, 1984 in Los Angeles, California. The first two prototype models had identical laser engravings on both sides, commemorating the games and both were Model C configured. What differentiated these first two models were the hex nuts: one model used raw aluminum (seen in this exhibit) and the other used aluminum that was anodized in a gold color. Everything else was identical. Most collectors are familiar with these first two models.
The third model was the No Jive (Model F) - Olympic Gold Medal yo-yo. It used aluminum hex nuts that were anodized a gold color. Its laser engraving is quite different from the first two models. There is no Tom Kuhn Custom Yo-Yos or © LA OOC 1984 engraving on either side. Furthermore, XXIIIrd was laser engraved as XXIIrd.
Of interest...
It is mostly unknown to Tom Kuhn customers and collectors alike that Tom and his employees were not permitted by the LA Olympic Organizing Committee to sell these Olympic-branded yo-yos, like the model seen in this exhibit. As such, all three were never considered an official retail release by Tom Kuhn Yo-Yos. Read the No Jive (Model F) - Olympic Gold Medal yo-yo exhibit to learn more about how some of these rarities made it out into the wild over the years. | |
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