5 Things You Didn’t Know About Olympic Medals

Did you know that when Olympians “bring home the gold,” the phrase can’t be taken completely literally? No Olympian brings home a medal made entirely out of pure gold; they are only plated with gold. However, the massive accomplishment that the medal represents still stands, no matter what the medal is made from! 

What other interesting facts do we know about the coveted Olympic medals?  

1. How Much Are They Really Worth? 

Melted down, Olympic medals may be sold for $600, but they go for a whole lot more in medal-form. At auctions, gold medals can be sold $20,000 to $50,000. Silver medals sell within the $10,000 to $30,000 range, and bronze medals go for less than $10,000. Other Manassas recognition items can be worth a lot as well.

2. The Ones that Came From Outer Space 

As far as Olympic gold medals go, those received during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia are among the most fascinating ones to possess. This is because ten of the gold medals awarded during those Games contained fragments from a meteor that exploded in Russia the prior year. Those ten medals are literally from “out of this world.”  

3. Are They Inscribed? 

Contrary to common assumption, Olympic medals are not given to the winners with their names already inscribed on them. All that shows up on the medals when they are awarded is the name of the sport, the name of the event, and the Olympic emblem. If a winner wants their name inscribed, they have to take care of it themselves upon their return home. Custom engraving stores in Manassas, VA often inscribe medals with names on them.

4. Why Do People Keep Biting Their Medals? 

Ever wonder why Olympic champions are always pictured biting their medals? Well, the tradition goes back to when gold medals really were made solely out of gold. The winners would bite the medal, attempting to leave a tooth mark in the gold. Nowadays, the “bite” is simply for tradition’s sake.  

5. Behind the Color Sequence 

Why specifically gold, silver, and bronze? And why in that order? It all goes back to Greek mythology – each of the three medals is related to one of the “Ages of Man.” During the Golden Age, gods and men lived in peace and harmony. In the Silver Age, men strayed from piety and were perceived as less noble than those of the Golden Age. When the Bronze Age came along, men were tough, prone to violence, and their armor was made from bronze. 

The Olympic Games are such a large piece of world history. Each time around, the Olympic Games present new stories and new words to be written and recorded in the history books. There is so much to learn about this long-lived tradition! 

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