The “podium value” of the gold medal at the Rio 2016 Olympics is approximately $564, based on the price of gold at $43.76 per gram and the price of sterling silver at 61 cents per gram.
According to Forbes, this is in line with the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games (about $566, even though that medal was 31 grams heavier). However, it is a long way off from the approximate $708 record price of the 2012 London gold medal, due to the record high price of gold and silver at the time.
If the entire medal was made of gold it would be valued at nearly $22,000, which is why 1912 was the last time all-gold medals were awarded.
As per Time.com, a gold medal’s true value depends on your point of view. The organization that hands out medals may value them very differently than the individual who wins one. How much a collector is willing to pay for such a medal is a different animal altogether, as is how much the medal’s metal would be worth if it were melted down.
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