It's pretty darn easy to melt gold down.
'Potential'
Natter 73: Chuck Norris only wishes he could Natter
Off-topic discussion. Wanna talk about corsets, duct tape, butt kicking, or physics? This is the place. Detailed discussion of any current-season TV must be whitefonted.
You could always melt it down. What's the street value of a Nobel prize vs the gold?
Oh yeah! OK, back to plotting how to steal a Nobel prize. Step one: Make connection with someone with a big oven. (Take that glassblowing class??)
Blowtorch FTW.
According to Wikipedia, the prize weighs about 175 grams, which by my calculations, is worth $7600 at current rates.
But if you found a collector who specifically wanted a Nobel prize I'm sure you could get more than that. Just need the right fence.
What's the street value of a Nobel prize vs the gold?
Now I'm picturing an episode of Starsky and Hutch, where someone is trying to fence a Nobel prize. Because Huggy Bear would know the street value of a Nobel Prize.
eta: And the King of Sweden could have a cameo.
We have a 'display' Nobel in the lobby at work (not solid gold.) Our latest laureate brought the real deal in for a day or so.
That reminds me of hte story of the King of Sweden several years ago, being unable to cash a check because he didn't have any ID on him. He tried pointing out his resemblance to the face on the currency, but apparently that didn't qualify as proper ID. He had to have his security guy pay for whatever he was getting.
Every time I hear that there is actual royalty still running around somewhere I am surprised. Not the English royal family because they are always in the news with the cute babies and whatnot, but pretty much everyone else I'm all - monarchy, that's still a thing?
Royalty other than England that I can name off the top of my head: Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium, Netherlands, Spain, Monaco are the ones that make appearances before their countries' governing bodies, plus there are several deposed European houses that still have the wherewithal to maintain sort of royal estate and their countries don't seem moved to stop them--Greece, some of the Balkan states, France, Germany. Plus various Middle Eastern and African states that my Eurocentrism doesn't follow as closely.