An athlete’s greatest accomplishment is usually winning an Olympic gold medal, therefore it’s fitting that the medal itself symbolizes the significance of this achievement. Interestingly, most Olympic gold medals are primarily made of silver with only a small amount of gold.
According to the International Olympic Committee rules, a gold medal must contain at least 92.5% silver. Each medal is then plated with a minimum of 6 grams of gold.
It may surprise you to learn that silver medals are also 92.5% silver. Bronze medals, on the other hand, are made of 95% copper and 5% zinc.
In terms of weight, the gold medal is 1.17 pounds, the silver medal is 1.16 pounds, and the bronze medal weighs 1 pound. The design of the Olympic medals for 2024 was created by Chaumet, a French luxury jewelry and watch brand founded in 1780 and owned by LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton).
In 2024, Olympic medals include a fragment of iron from the original Eiffel Tower. Notably, the medals for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, held in 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic, were partly made from recycled Japanese electronics.
How much is a gold medal worth?
The value of a gold medal depends on the current market prices of precious metals. During the 2022 Winter Olympics, the gold and silver content made the medals worth about $750. While the sentimental value of the medals for athletes is often priceless, their rarity and prestige can make them valuable collector’s items, sometimes fetching tens of thousands of dollars at auctions years later.
