Taylor Smith wasn’t even born when the 1976 Montreal Olympics took place. But 50 years after the Games, the Nova Scotia professor has amassed what he believes is the largest collection of its memorabilia in the world.
“It’s sort of like an endless rabbit hole. The kinds of stuff you can find that all pertain to this one event,” Smith said in a recent interview from his home in Antigonish, N.S.
Smith, who grew up in Ontario and is now an assistant professor of computer science at St. Francis Xavier University, started his collection with one object and then it snowballed into something much more.
“I went to this used book[store] with my grandfather and there was this book on the shelf,” said Smith, who describes himself as a history buff.
The book’s cover — silver with a rainbow stripe — stood out to him.
When he opened it, Smith realized he was holding the official album from the 1976 Olympics.
A collection of memorabilia from the 1976 Montreal Summer Olympics. (Jeorge Sadi/CBC)
Between pins, guidebooks, rulebooks, glasses, uniforms and even film from the events — Smith worked hard to make sure he has almost everything you could think of that pertains to the Olympics in Montreal.
Smith has even challenged his friends to help him find new items for his collection.
His current favourite item is a torch from the games that was used during the opening ceremonies.
According to Steve Shelton, owner of KSKS Sports Collectibles in Point-Claire, Que., located in Montreal’s West Island, a torch is amongst one of the most pricey pieces of memorabilia you could find from the games.
A torch used in the 1976 Olympic ceremony is displayed in Taylor Smith’s house. (Jeorge Sadi/CBC)
“We’ve actually bought one or two over the years that we’ve owned at the store and we put it into an auction,” said Shelton. “It was always very successful.”
Shelton noted that the most expensive items from the Olympics are medals given out to athletes. Prices depend on the type of metal and who the medal belonged to.
Pins and badges that were worn during the games are displayed. Smith hopes to soon add a metal to his collection. (Jeorge Sadi/CBC)
Smith described securing a medal from the Games as his “holy grail.”
“Gold, silver or bronze. I’m not picky,” said Smith, who hopes to one day display an authentic medal from the games as the centrepiece of his collection.
Smith said his ultimate goal isn’t to sell the collection for a profit, but instead to have it be put on display in Montreal, for others to enjoy.