Nobel gold medals delivered by diplomatic courier around the world

Photos courtesy Nobel.org via Twitter

Because of the pandemic, the award ceremony for the Nobel Prize in Stockholm was postponed in December 2020. Nevertheless, the Nobel committee sent the Laureates their medals and beautiful hand-painted diplomas. Eleven of the medals, including Professor Jennifer Doudna’s, traveled with diplomatic immunity via diplomatic pouch across the world.

Have you ever wondered what the Nobel Prize medal is made of? Before 1980 the medal was made from 23-carat gold. Newer Nobel Prize medals are 18-carat green gold plated with 24-carat gold. Green gold(known as electrum) is an alloy of gold and silver, with trace amounts of copper. The diameter of the Nobel Prize medal is 66 mm but the weight and thickness vary with the price of gold. The average Nobel Prize medal is 175 g with a thickness ranging from 2.4-5.2 mm