GoldPaq

When it is time to award achievers for their successes, nothing says “you’ve made it” like gold - the gold standard indeed. Athletes, actors, musicians, military personnel, political activists, nearly every field has an award, and many of those are made of gold ? if only figuratively.

If you’ve ever watched an awards ceremony, or seen an athlete with his or her medal and/or trophy, and wondered at someone being awarded a gold statuette or medal, then read on, and prepare to be surprised at what’s really gold, and what’s not!

For many, the mention of an award brings to mind images of the Olympic medalists and their gold, silver, and bronze medals. However, these were not always the awards presented to Olympic winners. It wasn’t until the 1906 Olympic games that they started giving Olympic gold, silver, and bronze medals were awarded to the top three winners in each category.

Is the gold medal really gold? Believe it or not, no. Although the Olympic gold medal truly was made of solid gold until the 1912 games, todays gold medals are actually silver, plated with gold. The silver and bronze medals are actually made of silver and bronze.

One of the most recognizable awards in the world is the Academy Award for film, commonly known as the Oscar. The Academy Award, which is presented to actors, directors, producers, cinematographers, and others who make films, is one of the most highly sought-after awards in the film world. Each year hundreds turn out for the ceremony honoring achievement in film, and millions more watch the ceremony on television or read about it afterwards. The lucky few get to take home the Oscar himself, a gold statuette in the Art Deco style of a figure holding a sword standing atop a film reel.

But is Oscar really gold? No. The modern Academy Award is actually britannium plated with gold, although, since the first Academy Award trophy was produced in 1928, Oscar has been produced in several different materials. The first Academy Awards were made of an alloy of tin and copper, plated in gold. During World War II, in support of the wartime need for copper and aluminum, Oscar was molded in plaster for the years 1942-1944. After the war ended, winners could trade their lightweight Oscar in for the traditional gold-plated metal model.

For a musician, his or her first gold record means success. A gold record, awarded by the Recording Industry Association of American, or RIAA, commemorates sales of 500,000 units of a single or an album. If the musician is really successful, a platinum record, designating sales of 1,000,000 units, or a multi-platinum record, for sales in excess of 2,000,000, is quite an achievement. For the superstars of music, a diamond record tells the world that he or she has sold over 10,000,000 copies of a single song or album.

A record is a fairly sizable object to be cast in gold, not to mention platinum or diamond. So are these gold, platinum, and diamond records really made of gold, platinum, and diamond? They are not, in fact. Until the early 1980s, when the prices of platinum and gold skyrocketed, the records really were coated in gold, platinum, and diamonds. Now, however, the records are only figuratively gold, platinum, and diamond.

The Medal of Honor bestowed upon those in branches of the United States military for actions “?conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States?”

The Medal of Honor is made of gold. Although different branches of service have different medals, all the medals are gold.

The United States Congress also awards Congressional Medals to other, non-military persons who have made important contributions to history, and also to events and sites that have a special meaning to the history of the U.S.

Among the recipients of the Congressional Gold Medal are: Charles Lindbergh, Robert F. Kennedy, Hubert H. Humphrey, Simon Wiesenthal, Elie Wiesel, Roy Wilkins, Lady Bird Johnson, Robert Frost, Marian Anderson, John Wayne, Joe Louis and Chuck Yeager. Among the places and events commemorated by the Congressional Gold Medal are: The George Washington/Mount Vernon Bicentennial, the U.S. Diplomatic Presentation, the U.S. Secret Service Centennial, the American Red Cross Centennial and the Yosemite National Park Centennial.

Are these Congressional Gold Medals really gold? Absolutely. Produced by the United States Mint, which also strikes gold coins that include the 24-karat gold American Buffalo Coin, and the gold American Eagle, these Congressional Gold Medals are made of genuine gold .

Gold is the standard-bearer for awards everywhere, but, in most cases, the gold trophy or medal isn’t actually made of solid gold. However, just that touch of gold is enough to bring even more glory to the award!

You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.