A Torch produced for the 1968 Winter Olympic Games has sold for $225,000 at auction ©Nate D. Sanders Auctions

An Olympic Torch produced for the 1968 Winter Olympic Games in Grenoble has sold for $225,000 (£185,000/€205,000) at auction.

Grenoble 1968 Torches are the scarcest of all Olympic Torches and bidding for this item started at $180,000 (£150,000/€160,000). 

The Torch was one of only 33 produced by the Societe Technique d'Equipement et de Fournitures Industrielle and was auctioned in Los Angeles by Nate D. Sanders Auctions.

In January, Boston-based RR Auction sold a Grenoble 1968 Torch at auction for $231,287 (£176,507/€203,822), including the buyer's premium. 

Only 33 Olympic Torches were produced for the 1968 Winter Olympic Games in Grenoble ©Getty Images
Only 33 Olympic Torches were produced for the 1968 Winter Olympic Games in Grenoble ©Getty Images

More than 5,000 Torchbearers carried the flame to Grenoble before the Opening Ceremony.

The copper plate Torch features a crenelated design at the top resembling the Olympic flame, which serves as its windshield. 

The long handle segues to the top portion that holds the burner, distinguished by a silver plate featuring the official emblem of the Games designed by Roger Excoffon, France's most famous typeface designer and graphic designer.