The amount of gold in an Olympic gold medal has fallen to 1.34 percent, thanks to gold prices that recently peaked at $1,895 an ounce. At current prices, a pure 400g medal would cost about $25,000 to make, with a total bill of about $50m for the games.
"The last time the Olympic Games handed out solid gold medals was a hundred years ago at the 1912 Summer Games in Stockholm, Sweden," writes gold brokers Dillon Gage. "Gold medals were in fact only gold for eight years. The 1904 Olympics in St. Louis introduced the gold medal as the prize for first place."
The 2012 gold is 92.5 percent silver, 1.34 percent gold, and 6.16 copper, with IOC rules specifying that it must contain 550 grams of high-quality silver and 6 grams of gold. The resulting medallion is worth about $500. For the silver medal, the gold is replaced with more copper, for a $260 bill of materials.
The bronze medal is 97 percent copper, 2.5 percent zinc and 0.5 percent tin. Valued at about $3, you might be able to trade one for a bag of chips in Olympic park if you skip the fish.
This ain’t Mark Roberts’ first rodeo. The British nudist who hopped onto an Olympic ice rink at PyeongChang in a pink tutu and a monkey-faced codpiece (strategically covering his junk, of course) has a long history of streaking. For 25 years now, Roberts has run bare (partially or completely) at hundreds of international sport events, […]
“The most feared weapon of any dictatorship is satire,” says Howard, the Australian who impersonated Kim Jong-un waving a United Korea flag in front of North Korean cheerleaders at the Olympics yesterday. He was rewarded with a none-too-happy response. According to the impersonator, his stunt got him a kick in the shin and angry shouting […]
If only it were true. Chicago’s ABC affiliate WLS-TV featured the graphic seen above during a story about the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang. From the Chicago Tribune: Jayme Nicholas, a spokesperson for the ABC affiliate in Chicago, told Inc. that the goof was the result of a mix-up. The graphic was created for a different […]
Even on outdated models, smartphones have imaging technology that puts the compact cameras of just a decade ago to shame. If you really care about the pictures you take, stop treating your smartphone camera like just another app. It can shoot cinema-quality video and photos with the right tools, and the Rigiet Smartphone Gimbal might […]
Slithering along like its namesake, Python has woven itself into nearly every aspect of web development since its inception the late ’80s. Flexible and readable, the possibilities of this programming language are nearly limitless – with the right understanding. And the quickest way to that understanding is the Ultimate Python Programmer’s Bootcamp Bundle. This comprehensive […]
Starting a podcast is easier than ever — just scroll through the variety of voices that are out there today. Getting your podcast heard? That’s a whole other level of expertise. Luckily, those trade secrets are fair game for all in the Podcasting 101 Bundle. Before you hit record, do yourself a favor and hit […]
