Sports medals signify achievement and have become an important badge of honour for those who triumph on the field. Today, it is universally accepted that achievement medals come in either gold, silver, or bronze, indicating first, second, and third place, respectively.

If you search for medals for sale because you want to buy medals online, you’ll see that just about every medal available comes in these three metals.

But have you ever wondered why?

A Matter Of Prestige

The most obvious explanation for the ranking of gold, silver, and bronze is their order of prestige.

For most of recorded history, gold and silver have been universally regarded as precious and have formed the backbone of most economies, with gold signifying royalty and the gods and silver signifying wealth since many currencies were based on it or made from it.

Copper was also regarded as precious, although not as much as silver and gold. It was too soft to be of much use on its own and was not considered to be as beautiful or as rare as gold. However, when mixed with other metals like tin, nickel, or manganese, it became harder and therefore more useful for making things like armour, shields, and swords.

Bronze became known as a noble metal, highly valued for its usefulness, third only to the prestige of silver and gold. This view of gold, silver, and bronze dates back to ancient bronze-age Greece, where the Olympic Games were first carried out.

Order Of Rarity

Linked to the order of prestige is the notion that gold, silver, and bronze (which is primarily made of copper) are in descending order of rarity and therefore value.

The theory goes that these three metals were chosen to signify first, second, and third because gold, silver, and copper are all located in the same column of the periodic table in order of their rarity.

What’s more, all three metals share certain characteristics: they’re highly malleable, resistant to corrosion, and of high enough value to make the medal feel like a reward worth earning.

If you are looking to purchase medals online for an upcoming event, then you’ve come to the right place. Here at Trophy Empire, we supply a range of sports medals to reflect achievements in a wide variety of activities. Contact us now for more information about our range of achievement medals, or check out the medals for sale in our online store.