One of the most important moments in Olympic history occurred not in the heat of competition, but on the medal stand.
After Americans Tommie Smith and John Carlos finished first and third, respectively, in the 200-meter men's final at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, the two Black sprinters wore black gloves and raised their fists in protest, while the U.S. national anthem played during the medal ceremony.
Smith and Carlos, who were expelled from the Games by the International Olympic Committee, were protesting the state of civil rights in the U.S., just six months after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.
A piece of historic memorabilia from that medal ceremony will be sold Saturday, when the sweat jacket Carlos wore on the podium, with his bib number affixed, closes at Heritage Auctions.
Heritage has photo-matched the jacket, which Carlos consigned himself after a fortuitous sequence of events led to its return.
Carlos, in an interview with Heritage, said he gave the jacket to an athlete from Senegal.
"I looked at his outfit, I said, 'Man, that's a beautiful outfit.,'" Carlos said. "He says 'Oh, I like yours, too.' So I said, 'All right, let's swap.'"
Carlos had all but forgotten about the trade when a nephew of the Senegalese athlete contacted him. He said his uncle had willed him the sweatsuit upon his passing, and rather than keep it, he wanted to give it back to Carlos.
Bidding on the jacket has reached $48,800, including buyer's premium. The auction house estimates it is worth at least $50,000. Carlos said he will donate some of the proceeds to Senegalese interests.
Darren Rovell is the founder of cllct.com and one of the country's leading reporters on the collectibles market. He previously worked for ESPN, CNBC and The Action Network.