For the Tokyo Olympics, medals were made from more than 78,000 tonnes of recycled consumer electronics, including over six million used mobile phones, handed in by the public. Guns N' Roses, Stevie Nicks, Janet Jackson and Wizkid are on sale now. A gold medal is worth $37,500 , a silver medal is worth $22,500 and a bronze medal is worth $15,000 . If youre a member of Team USA and take home a medal, youll also walk away with some cash. What does that translate to in terms of $$$, though? Being far more silver than gold means that overall, the total value of medals awarded in the modern games is still worth a whopping $2,488,801 at current metal . Occasionally well offer ribbons to fourth and lower, but thats a rarity. They very rarely come up for sale, Gladdle said. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. Huh! Well, using recycled materials is great! Tokyo 2020: Where did the Olympic Games begin? Earlier this month a winner's medal from the 1896 Athens Olympics sold for $180,000 at auction, Cuban shooter Leuris Pupo's gold medal from the London 2012 Olympics fetched $73,200, and his . As part of "Operation Gold," an initiative the USOPC launched in 2017, U.S. Olympians who reach the podium receive payments of $37,500 for every gold medal won, $22,500 for silver and $15,000 . 2023 National Post, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved. Olympic medals are iconic, but what are they actually made out of? If theres a particularly inspirational or impressive athlete attached, the value of an Olympic medal can absolutely soar but it kinda depends on whos buying. That means: Gold medals are 1.34% gold, 92.5% silver, and 6.16% copper; Silver medals are 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper; Bronze medals are 97% copper, 2.5% zinc and 0.5% tin. A spokesperson from the Beijing 2022 committee confirmed that this year's gold medal follows those regulations. $199.00. Good stories also boost value: The most valuable Olympic medal ever sold was track star Jesse Owens' gold medal from the 1936 Olympics in Nazi-occupied Berlin, which went for nearly $1.5 million . A donation will also be made to a social justice initiative created by the Celtics. The Winter Games medals tend to be slightly bigger than the Summer Games ones. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee rewards athletes $37,500 for every gold medal won, $22,500 for silver and $15,000 for bronze. Gold medals must be plated with at least 6 grams of gold. To win an Olympic medal, athletes put in hard work, sweat, tears and lots of sacrifice but if they manage to get their hands on a precious medal, how much is it actually worth? Here are the 10 countries with the most Olympic medals: United States - 2980 medals. In Tokyo, the gold medals won by the athletes overwhelmingly contain more silver than actual gold, which makes up about 6 grams of the total weight of 556 grams, according to the International Olympic Committee. The gold medal weighs just a bit more than the silver medals, while the bronze medals weigh significantly less. Here's what Olympic gold, silver and bronze medals are made of and how much they're worth in 2022. . Junichi Kawanishi, a representative of SIGNSPLAN and director of Japan Sign Design Association and Osaka Design Society, designed this years medals. You learn something new everyday. (Womp, womp.). As for the third place medals yup, you guessed it, they're not really bronze; they tend to be made from a mix of copper and zinc. The Tokyo 2021 Olympic gold medal design comprises six or so grams of gold layered over 550 grams of silver, according to the designer. The 1995 $1 Silver Special Olympics Commemorative Coin was designed by James Ferrell and Thomas Rogers. Gold medals are not worth their weight in gold, but they do command high prices when placed up for auction, typically exceeding the value of the metal. The gold, silver and bronze medals awarded to competitors at the Olympics and Paralympics represent the highest levels of athletic achievement at the . We break down those answers ahead. Anyway, before we move on to $$$, a quick note on the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics medal design (because its super fascinating!). In the way that the necklace your ex gave you is made from real gold plus a bunch of other metals lurking beneath the surface. According to CNBC's market watch, "the 6 grams of gold and 550 grams of silver in the Tokyo Olympics' first-place medal are worth $353 and $466." That's $265 more than the 2018 medal that was valued at the time of the PyeongChang Opening Ceremony, even though this year's medal has around 30 grams less silver. As of Feb. 4, 2022, the price of gold was $1,808.00 an ounce and the price of silver was $22.62 an ounce. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. When it comes to their weight, Olympic medals vary from 500 to 800 grams-or 17.64 to 28.22 ounces. Anyone can read what you share. This year, athletes will receive up to 142,288 (roughly $159,000) per gold in . Fair enough, gold is really expensive, imagine the amount of gold used to create all of the medals for all of the different events! The Olympics website also notes that the ring is concave, which echoes the traditional jade pendant design. The 1900 Paris gold medals at today's value of gold are worth about $2300. Hungary's national Olympic committee is one of many that awards bonuses for medals at the Games. Each gold medal contains 6 grams of gold, valued at $302.12, and 394 grams of sterling silver, valued at $318.70. Germany - 892 medals. again, are mostly made up of silver) at the 2022 Winter Olympics are worth less than $750. At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, . . But the tradition of awarding gold medals to Olympic champions didnt start until 1904, at the St. Louis Summer Olympics. Six grams of gold in 2021 is worth around $380, according to Bloomberg, while 550 grams of silver is around $450, so a gold medal rings in at around $830, as far as the value of the pure metal . I suppose it is what it represents that makes it so special, I want to go to the olympics for swimming, I was very surprised that they werent properly made from gold but I guess the olympians just happy that they won for the country . The last time an Olympic medal was made entirely out of gold was at the 1912 Stockholm Summer Olympics. Many Olympians dont give up their sport completely when they retire instead, they turn their hand to coaching. If you were to melt down a medal won at a recent Olympics, a gold medal would be worth around $800, a silver would be worth about $450, and a bronze would be worth around $5. Some former Olympians have resorted to selling their medals because of financial hardships or to raise money for charity. Some collectors will gladly settle for bronze, Mr. Livingston said. Total Payout: $4.92 million. There were 556 grams of gold medals at the Tokyo Summer Olympics, 550 grams of silver medals, and 450 grams of bronze medals. The thickness must be between three millimeters to 10 millimeters. The gold medal consists of just over 1 percent actual gold. While the names of Olympians are not engraved on medals, names matter, and so do the circumstances associated with athletic feats, auction experts said. Earlier this month a winner's . She has taught science courses at the high school, college, and graduate levels. From hair trends to relationship advice, our daily newsletter has everything you need to sound like a person whos on TikTok, even if you arent. Does anyone know why are there two Tokyo Olympics medal designs? Earlier this month a winners medal from the 1896 Athens Olympics sold for A$244,000 at auction, Cuban shooter Leuris Pupos gold medal from the London 2012 Olympics fetched $99,488, and his compatriot Ivn Pedrosos long jump gold medal from Sydney 2000 went for $96,954. According to CNBC's markets team, the Tokyo gold medal was worth a bit more at the time . We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. According to the Tokyo 2020 website, around 5,000 medals have been produced for these games. $8.59 . Teaser, you might be in for another surprise! 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. Sotherton said she keeps her medals accessible rather than putting them up in a frame. Despite the name, an Olympic . But just having an Olympic medal in your garage doesnt mean you have a goldmine. Excluding labour and design costs, here is the value of Olympic medals by weight. Athletes who are disqualified for sport technical violations (it happens!) If championship medals at Tokyo 2020 were to actually be made . Wow a shocking article @Newsround! The Value of Olympic Medals. Silver medals, on the other hand, are made of pure silver, while bronze medals are 95 percent copper and 5 percent zinc. !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