How Much Is An Olympic Gold Medal Worth?

You've seen it many times in the Olympics, the gold medal winner standing on the podium and taking a 'bite' out of the medal during the ceremony. It's become almost a tradition onto itself. Well, how much exactly is that medal worth?

Interestingly enough, the gold medal isn't all gold. In fact, it's only six grams of gold and 525 grams of silver. With the current prices for each, the total of the medal is around $548.

According to the Sochi website, here's the breakdown of what's in the medals:

• The Olympic gold medals contain 525 grams of silver with a 960 hallmark and 6 grams of gold with a 999 hallmark
• The silver medals contain 525 grams of silver with a 960 hallmark
• The bronze medals with a 460 hallmark

While the medal may symbolize more that just a dollar value, it is a good thing to know just in case they fall on hard times. That shouldn't be a real issue though for the athletes who take the top position as they also get bonuses based on performance.

In the case of USA's Sage Kotsenburg and Jamie Anderson, pictured above, they both got $25,000 for their victories. Not all countries do this though, Norway gives no bonuses to their athletes.

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[USA Today]