Every year, millions of viewers tune in to watch award shows like the Oscars, Emmys and Golden Globes. For entertainment professionals, winning one of these coveted awards is a defining career milestone. But beyond the honor and recognition, have you ever wondered about the actual value of the physical trophies?
We know that the real value of such esteemed awards lies in the achievement that they represent. But as precious metal connoisseurs, we couldn’t help but wonder: how much gold do these iconic figures actually contain? (Hint – it’s less than you’d think).
Are The Oscars Made of Real Gold?
The Oscars are one of the most cherished awards in entertainment. The statuettes are made of solid bronze and finished with a plating of 24k gold. The very first Oscars, awarded in 1929, were made of gold-plated solid bronze. But then due to a metal shortage during World War II, the statuettes were made of painted plaster for a few years. Once the war ended, the Academy invited recipients of the plaster models to trade them in for gold-plated metal versions.
The process of creating an Oscar is pretty interesting – from start to finish, the trophies evolve from 3D-printed models to wax figures and finally bronze statuettes. They’re then polished and plated with pure gold. Crafting an Oscar is a true work of art, and each year about 60 statuettes are made over the course of about 6 months.
How Much is an Oscar Worth?
Fun fact: an Oscar is worth $1. While the statuettes certainly cost much more than that to produce, the Academy has strict rules in place to keep the Oscars sacred – an award of merit rather than a collector’s item. Oscars winners are prohibited from selling or disposing of their statuette without first offering to sell it back to the Academy for $1.
Even if the Academy did allow for it, it’s hard to imagine a world where celebrities would want to sell their Oscars for scrap. But just because it’s fun to know – the value of real gold in an Oscar is almost negligible in scrap terms, about $100 max. Each statuette has a super thin layer of gold, roughly 3.8 microns (thinner than a strand of human hair). However, if Oscars actually were made of solid gold, they’d be worth about $300k at the current market price!
Emmy Statuettes
The iconic Emmy statuettes feature a winged woman holding an atom, representing the intersection of art and science in television production. They’re a gold-plated alloy of copper, nickel and silver.
How Much is an Emmy Worth?
As with most prestigious awards, the material value of an Emmy is far outweighed by its cultural significance. Olympic medals, for example, despite having a relatively modest scrap value of around $755, have been sold for up to $50,000.
Emmy trophies, however, cannot be sold or auctioned. Similarly to the Oscars, official Emmy rules state that when somebody wins the award, the statuette remains property of the Television Academy. Recipients are allowed to pass their awards down to heirs or successors, but the trophies can’t be sold or auctioned in any manner.
Because Emmy statuettes are only plated with a thin layer of gold, the amount of precious metal in each one is miniscule. The scrap metal value wouldn’t be more than a couple hundred dollars at most.
Is the Golden Globe Real Gold?
Yet another super famous award – winning a Golden Globe is an honor to say the least. Hosted by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), the Golden Globes recognize excellence in both film and television.
In recent years, the HFPA has made strides toward a more eco-friendly Golden Globes, including replacing plastic water bottles with glass and making a sustainable statement with an all-vegan banquet in 2020. Future efforts to go green may also involve rethinking the materials used in the trophies, though the gold plating will likely remain a signature element of the design. Maybe they’ll opt for recycled metals in the future!
How Much is a Golden Globe Worth?
Much like the other major awards, Golden Globe statuettes are (you guessed it) gold-plated. The interior is an alloy of brass, zinc and bronze. They’re produced using sophisticated machinery at a small factory in Oklahoma, with an estimated production cost of about $2,000.
Unlike Oscars and Emmys, Golden Globes are technically allowed to be sold. During an auction in 2015, Natalie Wood’s Golden Globe for her role in ‘Rebel Without a Cause’ was auctioned off by her husband and daughters, selling out at $17,500.
In terms of scrap value, Golden Globes aren’t worth much. Weighing slightly less than an Oscar at 7.8 pounds, these trophies share a similar composition, being gold-plated but primarily made of base metals like brass, bronze, and zinc. With the base metals valued at just $1–$3 per pound, the scrap value of a Golden Globe may be roughly $10–$15.
Gold Plating: Where Function Meets Style
All in all, major awards in the entertainment industry aren’t quite worth their weight in gold. Affordable metals make up the interior of Oscars, Emmys and Golden Globes, which are then plated with a thin layer of gold. This keeps the production costs reasonable while still maintaining that classic gold appearance that we all know and love.
Precious Metals in Awards
From entertainment to sports and even the Nobel Prizes, precious metals like gold, silver, and platinum have been integral to awards and trophies for centuries. It’s no wonder that a gold exterior is chosen for some of the most famous awards worldwide. Throughout history, people have instinctively valued precious metals, drawn to their beauty and inherent worth.
It’s great to see that entertainment organizations like the HFPA have started to promote sustainability at their award shows. In an ideal world, Oscars, Emmys and Golden Globes would all be made of 100% recycled metals. Maybe one day!
Speaking of Gold…
At Garfield Refining, we’ve been expertly refining precious metals for over a century. As the industries we serve continue to evolve, there’s always something new to discover. We’re passionate about exploring the many forms that precious metals take, even those that aren’t destined for refining. From Oscars to dental gold, it’s interesting to see how extensively gold, silver, platinum and palladium are utilized worldwide. We take pride in recycling these invaluable resources, keeping them out of landfills and ensuring they are repurposed for future use.
If you’re curious to learn more about precious metals, be sure to check out our other articles like ‘7 Fun Facts About Platinum’ and ‘What is the Melting Point of Gold?’ If you have any questions about precious metal refining or the metals market in general, don’t hesitate to give us a call. And last but not least, if you have unwanted gold, silver, platinum, or palladium that you’re looking to refine, reach out to us today to get started!
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