With the Award Season upon us, some of you were curious: What exactly is that famous little golden guy Oscar made of?
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Welcome to CoreFacts, where we're always short on time and big on science. I'm Steve Sobieszczyk. Let's get right to it, today's question is:
With the Award Season upon us, some of you were curious: What exactly is that famous little golden guy Oscar made of?
On February 24, 2008 stars will line the red carpet and wait in anticipation, hoping to take home an Academy Award. But what are they really getting? The Oscar statuette stands 13.5 inches tall, weighs 8.5 pounds, and is made from the alloy Britannium, which consists of tin, antimony, and copper. It is then plated in copper, nickel, silver, and 24-karat gold. This combination of materials has been the norm for a while, although it wasn't always the case. For example, during World War II when materials and metals were scarce, the Oscars were made of plaster. After the war, the plaster statues were then turned in for the normal gold plated versions.
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