Here's How Much A Gold Medal At 2020 Tokyo Olympics Is Worth

KEY POINTS

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medal is worth an estimated $800 if melted down and sold
A gold medal from the 1896 Athens Olympics was recently sold for $180,000
One of four-time gold medalist Jesse Owens' medals was auctioned for $1.5 million in 2019

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics continue to host various world-class sports and competitions with athletes competing against each other to win medals for their performances. But how much are Olympic gold medals actually worth?

Athletes competing in their respective sports can win financial compensation from their home countries on top of the medal that signifies their achievements. But some winners have pondered on the idea of selling their Olympic medals.

The design of the Olympic medals changes with each competition and this year, they have a diameter of 85 millimeters and vary in thickness from 7.7 mm to 12.1 mm. Gold medals are made of gold-plated pure silver and have six grams of gold out of a total weight of 556 grams. This would have a value of about $800 if melted down and sold with current prices, according to CNN.

On the other hand, silver medals contain 550 grams of pure silver and are worth an estimated $450. Bronze medals weigh roughly 450 grams and are made up of 95% copper and 5% zinc. At current prices, a bronze medal is valued at about $5.

Gold medals from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics are more expensive than their counterparts from the 2018 Winter Olympics, as per NBC New York. The primary reason for this is the inflated prices of precious metals. Three years ago, a gold medal was worth only about $555, nearly half of the price that it fetches for this year.

The value of Olympic medals can also be based on the athletes who won them as one winner’s medal from the 1896 Athens Olympics sold for $180,000 at an auction earlier this month. London 2012 Olympian and Cuban shooter Leuris Pupo sold his gold medal for $73,200 while another Olympian, Ivan Pedroso, sold off his long jump gold medal that he won at the 2000 Sydney Olympics for $71,335.

But the most lucrative sale of an Olympic medal was in 2019 when one of Jesse Owens’ — a legendary track and field athlete and four-time gold medalist in the 1936 Olympic Games — medals was auctioned for $1.5 million, as per Outsider.