How much is that gold, silver or bronze medal really worth?

The Sochi Winter Olympics medals are some of the biggest ever awarded. 

So how much are they worth? If the gold were made of solid gold – it would be worth about $21,000. However, it’s only got 6 grams of gold in there. The rest of it is made of silver. That gold medal is worth about $566 today. The silver medals contain 525 grams of silver and are worth $323. The bronze is made of copper, zinc and tin valued at a whopping $3.25. 

Of course it’s hard to put a price on an Olympic medal – but we Americans do. The U.S. Olympic Commission awards cash prizes to Olympians who win a medal -- $25,000 for gold, $15,000 for silver and $10,000 for bronze. Here’s the kicker. The Athletes are then taxed on that prize, which is considered income. Our heroes will have to pay somewhere between $2,500 and $9,0000 in taxes on a gold medal, depending on their tax bracket.