Nobel Prize Medal Facts

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Nobel Prize Medal Facts
Nobel Prize Medal
Nobel Prize Medal

The Nobel Prize is one of the highest honors in science, literature, and peace efforts. Each Nobel laureate receives a diploma, a medal, and prize money. But what is the Nobel medal actually made of? How much is it worth? Here are interesting Nobel Prize medal facts to answer your questions.

10 Quick Nobel Prize Medal Facts

  1. First awarded in 1901 in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Peace, with the Economics prize added in 1968.
  2. The medal consists of 18K green gold, plated in 24K gold.
    (since 1980; previously 23K solid gold)
  3. Each medal weighs ~175 grams
  4. Diameter: 66 mm (2.6 inches)
  5. Gold value ≈ $10,000
    (but auction prices can reach millions)
  6. All medals feature Alfred Nobel’s portrait
  7. Designs vary by prize category
  8. Peace Prize minted in Norway; others in Sweden
  9. Dissolved in acid to hide from Nazis
    (de Hevesy dissolved 2 medals in aqua regia in WWII)
  10. Reverse of science and literature medals quotes Latin:
    “Inventas vitam iuvat excoluisse per artes”

Brief History of the Nobel Prize and Medal

The Nobel Prize was established through the will of Alfred Nobel (1833–1896), a Swedish chemist, engineer, and inventor best known for developing dynamite. In his final will, written in 1895, Nobel directed that most of his fortune be used to create a series of prizes recognizing those who “have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind.”

The first Nobel Prizes were awarded in 1901 in five categories: Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Peace. A sixth prize, in Economic Sciences, was added in 1968 by the Swedish central bank (Sveriges Riksbank) in memory of Alfred Nobel.

Each Nobel laureate receives three items: a diploma, a gold medal, and a monetary award. The medal design for the first award ceremony in 1901 has remained largely unchanged. The Swedish Mint (Myntverket) strikes the medals for the scientific and literary prizes, while the Norwegian Mint produces the Peace Prize medal, reflecting Nobel’s wish that the Peace Prize be awarded in Oslo.

Chemical Composition of the Nobel Prize Medal

The Nobel prize medal really is gold, although its chemical composition has changed over the years. Medals made before 1980 consisted of 23 karat gold. Medals made since then have been made from 18K green gold that has been plated with 24K gold (pure gold).  Green gold is an alloy of silver and gold. Mixing the two metals yields gold with a greenish cast (hence the name). The natural form of the metal is called electrum.

How Much Is the Nobel Prize Medal Worth?

The size, weight, and value of the medals varies from year to year. Modern medals average around 175 grams (0.386 lb) per medal. The diameter of the medal is always 66 millimeters (2.6 inches), but the thickness ranges from 2.4 mm to 5.2 mm. The cash value of a medal depends on the current value of gold and the interest in the laureate. The value of the gold in the medal is approximately $10,000. However, the medals are worth much more if they are auctioned, due to their historical value.

Design on the Nobel Prize Medal

The Nobel medals for Peace and the scientific disciplines are awarded by different institutions and feature different designs. The Peace Prize is awarded by the Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo, while the others are awarded by Swedish institutions in Stockholm.

All Nobel Prize medals feature an image of Alfred Nobel on the obverse (front). However, the reverse (back) design varies by category:

  • Physics, Chemistry, Medicine/Physiology, and Literature: Designed by Erik Lindberg, the reverse features a scene with the goddess “Nature” holding a cornucopia and a genius unveiling the veil of mystery. It includes the Latin inscription:
    “Inventas vitam iuvat excoluisse per artes”
    (“Inventions enhance life which is beautified through art”, which is a line from the Roman poet Virgil’s Aeneid)
  • Peace Prize: Designed by Gustav Vigeland (a famous Norwegian sculptor), it depicts a group of three men forming a fraternal bond.
  • Economics Prize: Introduced in 1969 by the Sveriges Riksbank (Swedish National Bank) and designed by Gunvor Svensson-Lundqvist, the medal shows a portrait of Alfred Nobel based on Lindberg’s design, but the reverse depicts a stylized image of the North Star emblem of the Riksbank.

Each medal is struck by the Swedish Mint (Myntverket) in Eskilstuna, Sweden, except for the Peace Prize medal, which is minted in Norway.

Nobel Prize Medal for Chemistry, Physics, and Medicine
Nobel Prize Medal for Chemistry, Physics, and Medicine

Dissolving a Nobel Prize Medal in Acid

Because they are made of gold, Nobel prize medals are a target of theft. The most famous story about protecting a medal is from World War II. German scientists Max von Laue and James Franck had been awarded medals. The medals were sent to Copenhagen to keep them safe, but Germany invaded Denmark, so Hungarian chemist George de Hevesy dissolved the medals in the acid mixture called aqua regia (a mixture of nitric acid and hydrochloric acid in a 1:3 ratio). The gold was recovered from the solution after the war ended and the medals were re-cast.

How to Dissolve and Recover Gold Medals

Aqua regia is a nasty acid to work with because it’s so corrosive, although preparing it is not difficult. If you win the Nobel Prize and decide to recreate de Hevesy’s procedure,  you’ll run into trouble because aqua regia doesn’t dissolve silver! However if you have a pre-1980 medal made of ~96% gold, simply drop the Nobel prize medal in the acid. Expect to see a lot of bubbling from the nitrogen dioxide that’s released by the reaction:

Au + 3 HNO3 + 4 HCl ⇆ HAuCl4 + 3 NO2 + 3 H2O

The reaction produces a reddish-orange liquid. Recover the gold from the acid by adding sodium bisulfite:

3 NaHSO3 + 2 HAuCl4 + 3 H2O → 3 NaHSO4 + 8 HCl + 2 Au (elemental gold metal)

Rinse off the gold and melt it to re-cast it!

Stolen Nobel Prize Medals

Because Nobel Prize medals are made of gold, they are targets of theft. Several have been stolen over the years, usually from museums or the families of laureates rather than from the recipients themselves.

In 1982, the Nobel Peace Prize medal of Argentine diplomat Carlos Saavedra Lamas was stolen from a museum in Buenos Aires and later recovered. Niels Bohr’s medal was stolen from the Niels Bohr Institute in 2012, along with two others, and has never been found. Most thefts are motivated by the value of the gold, but melted or resold medals are rare, since each medal is engraved with the laureate’s name, making them easily identifiable and nearly impossible to sell legally.

Despite these incidents, the Nobel Foundation has replaced lost or stolen medals on rare occasions, preserving their symbolic and historical significance.

References