How Much are Statues Really Worth?

How Much are the World's Most Famous Statues Really Worth?

If you scrapped the Statue of Liberty, how much would you get?

Getty Loic Venance/AFP

By Tim Newcomb

With 31 tons of copper and 125 tons of steel, the scrap value of the Statue of Liberty comes in at $227,610, far below two of the most expensive statues in the world. But that's what happens when you use millions worth of gold and bronze.

911 Metallurgist, a metallurgy and mineral processing consultancy based in British Columbia, Canada, researched the value of some of the world's most famous statues, using current metal and commodity prices to determine just which of the world's most monumental locations would have the most monumental price tag if scrapped for parts.

The results showed a relatively budget-conscious look at statues, save for a pair that set a new mark in expense. Set for completion in 2018, the Statue of Unity in India will come in as the world's tallest statue and use over 6,000 tons of steel and nearly 25,000 tons of bronze, an estimated value of over $192 million.

The second-most expensive statue comes from China, where the 1,300-ton bronze Guan Yu Statue includes 4,000 bronze strips and a value of over $10 million. The sheer size of the Statue of Liberty brings this New York statue in at third, worth a little less than the original construction costs of $250,000 in 1875.

Here's how some of the world's other famous statues fair, via 911 Metallurgist:

911 Metallurgist
"While these statues have been written about extensively, not many people have accurately analyzed the value of the materials used," says David Michaud, CEO of 911 Metallurgist. "What surprised us about our research was the relatively low price tag most of the statues carry, despite being a source of pilgrimage for tourists in their millions."

Michaud says the best value for the money comes from Copenhagen, Denmark, where The Little Mermaid, only four feet tall, is the most visited attraction in the country with over one million people stopping by each year. The actual scrap metal value of the statue, though? Only $1,485.

The Motherland Monument in Kiev, Ukraine is the fourth most valuable statue of the famous landmarks studied, with a $149,000 price tag on 527 tons of steel and the Lord Murugan Statue in Malaysia uses 276 tons of steel for a $78,000 value.

Genghis Khan Equestrian Statue in Mongolia, Mandela Statue in South Africa, and Guardian of the Valleys in Wales all use mainly steel for descending values based on size

While we don't expect the Statue of Liberty to get scrapped anytime soon, if India's ever strapped for cash, the Statue of Unity's $192 million price tag could come in handy.