I did a google search and came across a post with Dave Perry who said the following
So who is correct?Doubt is also cast over whether the winning contestants actually got to take home the Golden Joystick 'prop' at all!
When the same question was put to Dave Perry on his now-defunct Games Animal forum, he couldn't definitively lend any credence to the claim:-
"Blimey. I really don't know about this. As far as I know, the winners always got to keep their Golden Joysticks, and at no time was there ever a solid gold version. Funny how these myths grow..."
His answers are similarly vague on the - also long-gone - GamesMaster Live forums:-
"If the rumour that they presented the joysticks on the show in later series but didn't allow the contestants to keep them is true, then that would probably explain it if 'they' were gold plated."
However, GamesMaster researcher, Peter Scott, sheds more light on the mystery:-
"We used to get the joysticks direct from the maker already golded-up. We did kinda run out on the first 13 eps of series 3, mainly as we used a lot more multiplayer games than forecast. So some poor winners were sent home without a joystick - but we sent them on as soon as they came through a couple of weeks later. Mind you we only had a few presentation boxes, the winners (certainly on the series I did) just got a joystick with no see-through perspex box or 'owt.
I nearly got a joystick as too many were made for the second part of series 3, the challenge bit that I didn't work on, and I was offered one to come along and help out. But I said no as I didn't want to be associated with that part of the series. I knew there was trouble in store as it was disorganised, the remaining GM staff hated working on it, and when it kinda fell to bits in the end the producer blamed me for being promoted to another show. Tsk."