In 1983, Campagnolo produced a special component gruppo in honor of the 50th anniversary of the company's founding. Based on the current Record and Cobalto lines, the 50th Anniversary gruppo featured gold plating and a unique design for some of the parts. Some of the 50th Anniversary gruppos came in a special case; all were accompanied by a numbered certificate. Over 10,000 of the 50th anniversary gruppos were made; today, mint condition sets with low numbers (under 200) can command a price of more than $10,000. Higher numbered groups, and those which have been mounted on bikes, can be purchased for much less.

The 50th gruppo is most easily distinguished by the presence of a number of gold-plated accents on the crank dust caps, pedal dust caps, brake caliper and lever pivots, and the lower derailleur pivot.

The photos at left show the components of the 50th anniversary gruppo, as advertised in the Italian magazine Bicisport in 1983. (Source: The official Campagnolo web site)

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In 1983, Campagnolo presented His Holiness, Pope John Paul II, with 50th Anniversary gruppo #2 (gruppo #1 remains in the company's archives).  Click on the photos below for more info on this historic moment.

	The 50th Anniversary crank featured a gold-plated dustcap, and a design generally patterned on the the Nuovo/Super Record lines. The face of the crankarms was flat, and the signature of Tullio Campagnolo was anodized into the surface. (Source for these images: www.vintagevelos.com) The 50th Anniversary brakeset followed the lines of the Cobalto gruppo, with a sharper profile than the Record brakeset.
Reader Paul Smith sent these photos of a complete bike built up with a 50th Anniversary gruppo--click to see a larger version.