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How much an Oscar statue costs to make is far less than its sentimental value to the winner
The 2024 Academy Awards are here but how much an Oscar is worth in terms of what it costs to make will surprise you.
Many of the biggest names in Hollywood are gathered for the 96th Academy Awards ceremony, taking place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Oppenheimer has long been the predicted Best Picture winner but movies such as Poor Things, The Zone Of Interest, and Barbie are nominated for the prestigious award. Speaking of the awards, what the Oscars statues themselves represent is something far more than any monetary value. With that in mind, the actual cost of making them may baffle you.
How much does an Oscar statue cost to make?
The iconic Oscar statues are estimated to cost no more than $1,000 each to produce, which is far less than you’d perhaps imagine for the most sought-after award in the business.
Crisccut reports the estimation based on information acquired from their goldsmiths and jewelry experts at Steven Stone.
Although appearing to be made of solid gold, the statues are in fact made of bronze before being coated in 24 carats. The 13.5-inch award weighs 8.5 pounds, and this year, the cost of a pound of bronze comes to $2.50. Not quite breaking the bank, right?
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However, it’s the additional cost of coating the statue in gold that adds around $400. Expanding past the cost of materials to give the general worth of the physical award, Crisscut concludes it’s around $1,000.
Can you sell an Academy Award statue?
The Academy introduced regulations in 1950 that declared those who win an award are forbidden from selling the statues, the only exception being that they’ve offered to sell it back to the Academy for the low price of $1 and had their offer declined.
Of course, that wouldn’t happenso no, you cannot buy an Oscar.
Yet, as history has proven, this doesn’t mean people haven’t decided to disobey the rules and sell their precious Academy Award statues.
Such high-profile figures as Michael Jackson, Steven Spielberg, and David Copperfield have all reportedly purchased Oscar statues for sums of money much larger than the $1,000 it would now cost to make them.
If my predictions are correct, I’m sure no price could ever be placed by the Oppenheimer crew on the accolades it’s going to rake in tonight. The suspense!
