It may surprise you to know that when athletes bite into their gold medals in photos, theyre actually chomping into a thin veneer of gold on a silver base. The first and easiest way of calculating the value of a Olympic gold medal is figuring what the metal is worth if one were melted down. For example, the 1912 Stockholm Olympics gold medals (solid gold) would be worth $1207.86. The answer is, obviously, priceless, at least to the person who won them with their sweat and strategy. That works out to be $758 worth of gold and silver in those medals, according to Philip Newman, a founding partner and managing director of Metals Focus, a London-based research firm. Ive decided to sell most of my collection, Mr. Russell said in a video on the website of Hunt Auctions, the Exton, Pa., auction house that will handle the sale of his medal, some of his N.B.A. The gold medal is actually made of 494 grams of silver and 6 grams of gold. Olympic gold medals have some gold in them, but theyre mostly made of silver. The bestseller, which features hundreds of true tales and historical photographs, also includes stories from both internationally known and little known athletes like gymnast Shun Fujimoto, who led his team to victory with a broken knee. Silver. (Womp, womp.). With a current market value of $0.89 per gram, the silver of this particular medal would cost about $489. Putting a Price on Winning And, according to the IOC, this specific gold medal weighs approximately 556 grams, meaning that, when the gold plating is removed, there is still approximately 550 grams of silver left. Team USA's Paralympic gold medals used to be worth $30,000 less than an able-bodied athlete's win until a change was made after the 2018 games. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. The silver medal, however, is made from 100 percent silver. Some Olympic medals contained matter from out of this world. According to the Olympic website, the medal design is "based on Chinese ancient jade concentric circle pendants with the five rings representing the Olympic spirit to bring people together and the splendor of the Olympic Winter Games being shared all over the world. Former British heptathlete Kelly Sotherton, who won a bronze in heptathlon at Athens 2004 and another for the 4 x 400-metre relay at Beijing 2008, saysher medals are a reminder of how her hard work and effort paid off. I think it is more the sentiment that counts. Now, the International Olympic Committee requires the gold medal to contain at least six grams of gold and silver of roughly 92.5 per cent purity. Are there medals in the Special Olympics? 'We're so proud of you!' Per the Guinness World Records, the most expensive Olympic medal ever sold was one of four gold medals won by Jesse Owens, the African-American sprinter who dominated the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany. The redesign was due to controversy around the use of the Roman Colosseum on the medals rather than a building with Greek roots. How do I check my child support status in Texas. Weight, worth and design details for 2022 Winter Games. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings. Even though the sentimental value may be priceless to the athletes who wear them, Olympic medals are finding their way to pawn shops from the podium. The last time an Olympic medal was made entirely out of gold was at the 1912 Stockholm Summer Olympics. Of course, Olympic medals have enormous historical and sentimental value and are therefore priceless, so their actual material worth is kinda irrelevant! If youre winning, I think the value is probably irrelevant, Mr. Newman said. The silver medal contains 550 grams of the metal, according to the Olympics website. Article content. Olympians rarely sell their medals, but when they do, they can make some SERIOUS cash. Logan Martin of Australia kisses his gold medal during the awarding ceremony for Cycling BMX Freestyle men's final at Tokyo 2020 Olympics. For example, the 1912 Stockholm Olympics gold medals (solid gold) would be worth $1207.86. Mr. Russell says that some of the proceeds will go to MENTOR, a charity that he co-founded that promotes youth mentorship opportunities. It is a bit disappointing that the medals aren't solid gold silver and bronze but I think the olympians don't care what it's made of and are just proud that they earned it. The shallow carved designs on the rings are all based on traditional Chinese patterns., As a reminder, Beijing also previously hosted the Summer Games, and the design of this years medals pays tribute to their jade-inlaid medals in 2008and showcases Beijings status as the first dual Olympics city.. Taiwan, which is officially known as Chinese Taipei at the Olympics, offers its medalists payouts that are nearly unmatched: roughly $719,000 for gold, $252,000 for . They contain red brass, which is 95 percent copper and 5 percent zinc. Medals attached to particular names or stories attract higher prices: in 2021, two Olympic gold medals won by Cuban athletes, Ivn Pedroso and Leuris Pupo, each fetched over $70,000 at auction. Some countries, though not all, pay athletes similar medal bonuses: The first Modern Olympians, in 1896 and 1900, competed for silver and bronze medals. A worker cleans a gold medal for the Rio Olympic Games after its gold bath at a coin factory in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 18, 2016. Well, at a lot less than you may think. That $265 more than the 2018 medal . The medals must be sized within a range of 70 millimeters (2.76 inches) to 120 millimeters in diameter. The 1900 Paris gold medals at today's value of gold are worth about $2300. According to CNBC's markets team, the 6 grams of gold and 550 grams of silver in the Tokyo Olympics' first-place medal are worth $353 and $466, respectively. Myth #2: Everyone Gets a Medal At Special Olympics, we award three medals: gold for first place in a division, silver for second, and bronze for third. In terms of weight, the medals vary from 500 to 800 grams, which equates to 17.64 to 28.22 ounces. melted them down, the precious metals in Olympic medals would command a wide range of prices. In the past, Olympic medals were actually made of pure gold until 1912, but after World War One, countries swapped to making silver medals with a layer of gold on top. Money noted that Winter Olympic medals tend to be worth less at auction than Summer ones, though it depends on the athlete and occasion. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The medals for the Tokyo Olympics are made from material recycled from electronic devices donated by the people of Japan. The Olympic gold medal weighs about 556 grams. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. This year, athletes will receive up to 142,288 (roughly $159,000) per gold in . Then there was a bronze medal from the 1956 Winter Games in Cortina dAmpezzo, Italy, that fetched $3,750. The tradition has led to Tokyo 2020 organisers jokingly reminding athletes that their 'medals are not edible'. In 1984, the Olympic Coliseum graced the obverse of that year's commemorative silver dollar Olympic coin. A Full Timeline of Kimyes Complicated Split, Paris Hilton's About to Be Richer Than Her Parents, Britneys $$$ Is Major and She Can Finally Use It, Behold: Will & Jadas Entire Relationship Timeline, Robert Pattinson & Suki Waterhouse's Ship Timeline, A Thirsty Timeline of Travis and Kourtneys Ship, The Reason Hoda Kotb Hasnt Been on the Today Show. I think its nice to sometimes put them on, she added. London's were the largest, at between 375 . Olympic gold medals arent made up entirely of gold, however, theyre actually mostly made of silver. Because biting gold is a classic way of verifying its authenticity. A spokesman from the Beijing 2022 committee confirmed that this years gold medal follows those regulations. Dr. Helmenstine holds a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences and is a science writer, educator, and consultant. Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think youll love as much as we do. It's a pay day - and occasionally a big one. Athletes who win gold in the Beijing . Please try again. And medals that have been stripped from their recipients like Lance Armstrongs 2000 Olympic medal, which was taken away in 2013 after he admitted to drug-taking actually have to be returned to the Olympic Committee, per IOC rules; they cant be sold. But older medals . Though the design of medals has varied since the 1896 Olympics, for the most part, the design selected for the 1928 Olympics remained for more than 70 years until it was redesigned at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. The medals for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics were completely different. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. Despite the name, an Olympic gold medal actually contains just six grams of gold plating on 550 grams of silver. A bronze medal weighing 450g is a little less than a pound of red brass, which is worth between $2 and $2.50 in scrap. Bill Russell, the Boston Celtics legend, will put his gold medal from the 1956 Olympics, when he served as captain of the U.S. basketball team, on the auction block this fall. at the 2022 Winter Olympics are worth less than $750. Premium Medal Display Hanger Never Give Up with 20 Hooks,Medal Hanger Display For Wall with 16inchL,race medal display Upgraded Medal Holder display with Simple Design . !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(e){if(void 0!==e.data["datawrapper-height"]){var t=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var a in e.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r