Collar of The Order of the Tower and Sword, issued to the key Co-founder of the Olympic Games
One of the sixteen link-pairs composing the Collar: each link-pair is 44 mm. long; Collar's total length is 365 mm.
The silver
Collar of the Order of the Tower and Sword
(4th class) of Portugal, which was origianally founded in 1459. This Order is to this day the premier honor issued by that country.
Balck's collar was issued by King Luís I (reigned 1861- 1889), who was mostly a man of the sciences, with a passion for oceanography.
While historically the Collar has generally been issued only with the 1st Class of the Order, during Luis' reign Collars were issued with all four classes of the Order.
Awards of Outstanding International Importance to Statesmen and Heroines