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Going for gold
Jul. 30th, 2012 10:59 amWell, after I wondered on Friday if the gold medal was solid gold, I went and did some investigerating. A gold medal at the London Olympics weighs 556g and are the largest ever - almost the double the size and weight of the ones at the Peking Olympics - which is in keeping with decades of medal inflation since 1908 when medals were less than a tenth of the size they are now.
A gold medal contains 550g of silver and only 6g of gold, making it worth, in strict metal value, about £375. The silver contains a core of copper with a coating of silver for a value of about £200, and the bronze medal is 97 percent copper, 2.5 percent zinc and 0.5 percent tin, making it worth about the same as one of those bags of chips they're not allowed to sell in the Olympic park - £1.50.
It's interesting to note that the last time a gold medal was solid gold was 1912 and those medals, despite being significantly smaller, are worth noticably more as bullion than the modern ones.
But still; it's not the winning, it's the taking part.
A gold medal contains 550g of silver and only 6g of gold, making it worth, in strict metal value, about £375. The silver contains a core of copper with a coating of silver for a value of about £200, and the bronze medal is 97 percent copper, 2.5 percent zinc and 0.5 percent tin, making it worth about the same as one of those bags of chips they're not allowed to sell in the Olympic park - £1.50.
It's interesting to note that the last time a gold medal was solid gold was 1912 and those medals, despite being significantly smaller, are worth noticably more as bullion than the modern ones.
But still; it's not the winning, it's the taking part.
