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How much gold is in an Olympic gold medal? Not as much as you might think

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

OK, Ailsa, you've seen the medals athletes have been winning at the Olympics all week.

AILSA CHANG, HOST:

Uh-huh.

SHAPIRO: Well, trick question - what do you think they're made of?

CHANG: Well, I want to say real solid gold, silver and bronze, but this question you're asking is making me second-guess myself, I guess.

SHAPIRO: As you should.

CHANG: (Laughter).

SHAPIRO: According to International Olympic Committee regulations, the Olympic gold medals must be made out of at least 92.5% silver...

CHANG: Oh.

SHAPIRO: ...Which comes out to 523 grams, and then they are plated with 6 grams of gold.

CHANG: Wait, wait, wait. Then, what is the silver medal made of?

SHAPIRO: Good question. The silver medal is 525 grams of pure silver.

CHANG: Hmm.

SHAPIRO: So I bet you're wondering about the bronze medal.

CHANG: Yeah.

SHAPIRO: It is an alloy made of copper, tin and zinc.

CHANG: Well, now you have me wondering how much each medal is worth.

SHAPIRO: Well, according to Oxford Economics, the gold is worth an estimated $1,027. The silver medal is about $535. And the bronze - sorry to tell you - it's about $4.60.

CHANG: (Laughter) Sorry, bronze winners.

SHAPIRO: Yeah, but the meaning - that's...

CHANG: Sure...

SHAPIRO: ...Priceless.

CHANG: ...Sure, sure, sure.

SHAPIRO: Oh, there is one other special element included in this year's medal.

CHANG: Tell me.

SHAPIRO: Each has a tiny sliver of the Eiffel Tower inside of them.

CHANG: Oh, my God.

SHAPIRO: So every athlete has an opportunity to bring home a piece of Paris.

CHANG: That is so awesome.

SHAPIRO: Priceless, I'd say.

(SOUNDBITE OF VANGELIS' "CHARIOTS OF FIRE") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

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