It has been recently released that Royal Mint is going to manufacture the winners’ medals for the London 2012 Olympic Games. This is great news for the company which mints all of the coins for Britain. Popular regarding their modern designs and level of quality, the Royal Mint will definitely create a stunning group of medals once the world’s best sports stars journey to England’s capital city.

What is the history of the Olympic gold medals then? Olympic gold medals are legendary – the most prestigious triumph for lots of athletes – yet, in the Ancient Olympic Games medals were not given. Additionally, during the inaugural modern day Olympic Games, the winners received a silver medal, whilst the runner up received a bronze medal. This swiftly evolved to the current custom of gold, silver and bronze medals. Until 1912the gold medals were constructed from solid gold – currently they are simply gilded with 6 grams of the precious metal with the gold and silver medals being made from 92.4 percent sterling silver. All medals have to be no less than 3mm thick and 60mm in diameter.

The style of the Olympic medals is normally heralded with a lot of curiosity and intrigue. In recent Olympiads those who won have taken home medals occasionally incorporating parts of the host country’s traditions. For example, the 2008 Beijing Olympic medals incorporated the precious stone jade into the design and style – a traditional treasured gemstone in Asian decorations and jewelry. The Athens Olympic medals were much more classic in design – highlighting the Olympic history of the nation.

The Winter Olympics have often seen more innovative medals. Winter Olympic medals have come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. Some have been designed with holes in them, whilst other designs are not even round.

It is going to be interesting to look at exactly how the London 2012 Olympic medals will be created. The Royal Mint has launched a contest for creative designers to secure the design contract. Will they go for something more traditional or carry on with Beijing’s design with something more contemporary? Together with the stylized 2012 Olympics logo design, athletes might be winning medals that are just as avant-garde.

A lot of people might find it difficult to imagine Olympic champions could actually auction off their Olympic medals but winners already have previously. Nonetheless, the value they fetch is connected with history and the experiences connected to the triumphs – not to the value of the actual medal. At 6 grams, they are far below the worth of gold bullion coins. If a person was having a look at gold as an investment then it would certainly be much better to buy bullion bars or buy gold bullion coins. If you were looking for a more affordable financial commitment then you should certainly buy silver bullion coins. Even though they have less value than gold, the value of sterling silver is also increasing and adds up to a valuable investment too.