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Not much gold in a gold medal..


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There are 302 events at which gold will be won at this Olympics; a lot of them are individual events, but many are not. Let's assume that, in total, 400 gold medals will be awarded; each weighing at least 375 grams.

 

What's the scrap weight price for 18-carat gold nowadays? Well, according to one website, each of those medals would be worth about £4,500 if they were 18 carat; a total of around £1.8 million.

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you didnt actually think they were solid gold did you? :rolleyes:

 

its a covering, as already been said theyd cost 1000s of pounds each otherwise.

 

at work we do gold on circuit boards if required (the tankfull of solution costs like 15.000 alledgedly)

but the gold is actually just a covering that sits over the copper, which is covered with nickel first then gold, just a few microns i think of immersion gold.

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There are 302 events at which gold will be won at this Olympics; a lot of them are individual events, but many are not. Let's assume that, in total, 400 gold medals will be awarded; each weighing at least 375 grams.

 

What's the scrap weight price for 18-carat gold nowadays? Well, according to one website, each of those medals would be worth about £4,500 if they were 18 carat; a total of around £1.8 million.

 

So that's about half the cost of what they stand to make from those 8000 torches that they are flogging off to the participants at £400 each... (and no way did a bit of bent tin and a gas burner cost that much to make). IF they can stiff people that price for a memento then they perhaps could cough for a better medal one thinks...

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There are 302 events at which gold will be won at this Olympics; a lot of them are individual events, but many are not. Let's assume that, in total, 400 gold medals will be awarded; each weighing at least 375 grams.

 

What's the scrap weight price for 18-carat gold nowadays? Well, according to one website, each of those medals would be worth about £4,500 if they were 18 carat; a total of around £1.8 million.

 

A drop in the ocean compared to the total cost of the London Games...

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So that's about half the cost of what they stand to make from those 8000 torches that they are flogging off to the participants at £400 each

 

That is true, but it's a different "they" ... Locog arranged the details of the torch relay and will receive the proceeds from the torch sales, but the medals are commissioned, and paid for, directly by the IOC. The alloys used have been the same for many years.

 

This is not meant as justification for the alloys being what they are - I don't know what the IOC's justification is, or ever was - I just want to ensure that people who are unimpressed by it, are unimpressed at the right bunch.

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