Te Papa wins the auction for the singlet worn by Kiwi runner Peter Snell at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics with a bid of $122,500.

A family believed they were selling an authentic singlet of Olympic great Peter Snell.

Te Papa has withdrawn its $122,500 offer for a Snell singlet after determining it was not the one worn by him when he won gold for New Zealand in the 800m and 1500m at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

John Ashbolt who was selling the item said the family had no idea the singlet was not authentic. "I'm just so disappointed. We have all agreed it was unfortunate. I'm so upset."



The sales proceeds were to be used for medical treatment for Ashbolt who has Crohn's disease, which causes long-term inflammation of the lining of the digestive tract.

Peter Snell pictured at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics alongside the singlet that turned out to be not his.

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Te Papa chief executive Rick Ellis said the museum had been unable to satisfy itself as to the authenticity of the singlet, and it has been agreed by the parties not to proceed with the sale.

"We are very disappointed and we know the public will be too," Ellis said.

"We believe the item was offered for sale in good faith, but our inquiries have shown that the singlet is not the one worn by Peter Snell at the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games," he said.

SNELL RESPONDS

Speaking from his home in Dallas, Texas, Snell was stunned to learn the singlet was not the real thing.

"My initial reaction is one of amazement. I was amazed when I heard what that singlet was going for. It seemed to me that: 'golly they've paid too much for this', and now they're off the hook for $120,000 which I'm sure they can use," Snell said.

"I’m still somehow not absolutely convinced it is a fake. The whole thing seems too elaborate. I’d be really interested to know what their solid evidence is to cause them to feel it wasn’t real."

Snell was contacted by the museum soon after the purchase and they questioned him about the singlet's material. That was his only hint it may not be genuine.

"I thought it was a nylon/polyester type singlet and they said 'this is a cotton one'. It's so long ago but I'm pretty certain it wasn't cotton. That's something they could have easily checked with other members of that team who've retained their stuff. I'm sure it's more than that. The number looked right.

"If it's true then it means the real one is around somewhere. I've got no idea where it is. I have none of my apparel left at all; it's all been donated for good causes for auctions many years ago."

CLUES IN THE CLOTH

Te Papa spokesperson Kate Camp said a staff member had raised questions over the fabric the singlet was made out of, and after more analysis found it was not the fabric they would expect to see in a Tokyo Olympics singlet.

The museum was very disappointed.

"This was something New Zealand was really excited about, and we were really excited about. It looked like a great piece of New Zealand sporting history.

"We're gutted."

The museum would undertake an independent review of its procedures following the purchase, Camp said.

SINGLET SALE CANCELLED

Cordy's auction house confirmed on Thursday it will not be proceeding with the sale of the Snell singlet.

"Cordy's is a reputable auction house and I know they are as saddened as we are at this outcome," Te Papa boss Rick Ellis said.

The singlet will be returned to the vendor and no payment will be made by Te Papa.

Te Papa will ask an independent expert to review the process that led to the auction bid, to understand what could have been done differently.

"We have a thorough process for acquisitions, and we need to review what occurred in this instance," Ellis said.

Andrew Grigg of Cordy's Auction house said he was embarrassed, and incredibly sad by what had happened.

"We're incredibly disappointed, we thought it was right. We all entered into it in good faith, we had no reason to doubt it," Grigg said.

"Te Papa have looked at it and convinced me it's not the right one, so we've unsold the singlet."

Grigg said he was not sure what the auction house could have done differently to avoid selling the fake.

"We compared the size of the numbers, the look online, every image of Sir Peter Snell running in it and how it compared to this one.

"Everything stacked up, it was only when Te Papa did their check that showed the fabric was different ... that alone gives me evidence and guarantees it's not the right one."

Grigg did not believe the vendors had sold a fake on purpose, believing that it was an honest mistake.

It was not known how the family came into possession of the singlet.

LEGAL ACTION UNLIKELY

Lawyer Gary Gotlieb said it was unlikely any legal action could be taken over the fake singlet.

"Unless they can find out who actually made the thing, they probably can't take it any further," Gotlieb said.

It might have been a series of genuine mistakes that had led to the singlet being sold at auction, and those who were selling it seemed to have thought it was the real thing.

Even if the person who had put the singlet together could be found, it was be difficult to prove they did it to make money.

SINGLET STILL WORTHY

New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame chief executive Ron Palenski said the finding the singlet may well be fake had not influenced his attitude to it.

"To me the value is in the bloke who wore it, not what he wore; that hasn't changed."

He was interested to know how Te Papa had authenticated the singlet "and why they doubted it in the first place".

Hall of Fame exhibits were usually donated directly by the owner, so there was no reason to question their provenance, Palenski said.

"It would be very unreasonable of us to do so, the provenance link is unbroken in our case."

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