What are Olympic medals actually made of?

That Olympic “gold” medal? Mostly silver…just 1.2% gold, plated (6 grams of the half kilo medal), but at least it’s mercury free, which is rare.

The silver medal is 100% silver (though actually 92.5% purity, 30% recycled from X-ray plates, mirrors etc), too right.

The bronze medal is 95% copper and 5% zinc, which makes it brass, rather than bronze (bronze is strictly speaking copper and tin…although any copper alloy is a bronze.

The bronze medals would be worth about $2 scrap metal, the silver medal about $300 and the “gold”, about $565. If it were solid gold it would be worth more than $21000, reports Compound Interest.

olympic-medals

Compositions have varied year to year…