How Much are Olympic Gold Medals Worth?

TL;DR

Olympic gold medals are worth around $624 for the 2012 London Games and $561 for the 2016 Rio Games, although athletes can sometimes sell them for higher prices on the open market.

Transcript

How Much are Olympic Gold medals Worth? As far as the value of the raw materials in them, this varies from Olympiad to Olympiad. For the recent 2012 Olympics in London, the medals were the largest of any in Summer Olympic history up to that point, weighing in at 400g for the gold medal. Of this 400g, 394g was sterling silver (364.45g silver / 29.55... Read More

Key Insights

• 🏅 The gold medals from the 2012 London Olympics were the largest in Summer Olympic history up to that point.
• 🏅 The drop in gold and silver prices since 2012 has led to the 2016 Rio gold medals being worth less than the London Games medals.
• 🎖️ Athletes can often sell their medals for higher prices on the open market, particularly for momentous medals.
• 🏅 Gold medals in the Olympics used to be made entirely of gold, but they became larger and made mostly of silver starting from 1912.

Questions & Answers

Q: How much was the gold medal from the 2012 London Olympics worth?

The gold medal from the 2012 London Olympics was worth about $624, with $304 from the gold plating and $320 from the sterling silver.

Q: How much is the gold medal from the 2016 Rio Olympics worth?

The gold medal from the 2016 Rio Olympics is worth about $561, with approximately $301 from silver and $260 from gold.

Q: What is the highest amount an Olympic gold medal has been sold for?

The highest amount an Olympic gold medal has been sold for is $310,700, which was the price for a gold medal from the 1980 U.S. hockey team.

Q: Has the value of gold medals changed over time?

Yes, before the 1912 Olympics, gold medals were made of solid gold, but now they are mostly made of silver with gold plating.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The gold medal from the 2012 London Olympics was worth about $624, with $304 from the gold plating and $320 from the sterling silver.

• The gold medal from the 2016 Rio Olympics is worth about $561, with approximately $301 from silver and $260 from gold.

• Athletes can often sell their medals for more than their raw material value, but the prices vary greatly.