Who can ever forget the final minutes of Super Bowl LI when victory was snatched right out of the talons of the Atlanta Falcons in overtime? It was heart wrenching television (especially for Atlanta fans), and the epic game is still being analyzed by sport broadcasters.
What hardly gets a mention though, but is equally as interesting in our opinion, is the championship trophy and the materials that go into making it.
The short answer from our title is yes, the Super Bowl trophy does contain silver. But after looking into it, we never realized exactly how much silver – not to mention effort – goes into manufacturing the trophy.
How much silver is in the Vince Lombardi Trophy?
As far as quantity is concerned, the signature Vince Lombardi Trophy contains around 7 pounds of sterling silver, which works out to 95 ounces. If you were to purchase 95 1-oz silver bars at current prices, that works out to roughly $1800.
But according to CNBC report in 2013, the actual value is much higher when you factor in the highly-skilled labor and the fact that the Super Bowl is the most-watched sporting event of the year.
History of the Super Bowl Trophy
The Vince Lombardi Trophy has been manufactured by jewelry icon Tiffany & Co. since the first Super Bowl in 1967. It’s rumored the design was originally pitched to then-NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle by Tiffany & Co. Vice President Oscar Riedner as a sketch on a cocktail napkin.
“The core mission of the company is to celebrate important moments in people’s lives,” remarks Tiffany & Co. executive Tom O’Rourke. “I can’t imagine a more important moment for an athlete than receiving the championship trophy on the field after a victory.”
The first trophy was awarded in 1967 to Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers, but was officially renamed the Vince Lombardi Trophy in 1970 following the legendary coach’s death. The trophy is manufactured in a workshop in Parsippany, New Jersey, which is also where the company manufactures trophies for Major League Baseball, PGA golf and other sports.
In fact, the company’s trophy business dates all the way back to 1860!
Fun Facts About the Vince Lombardi Trophy
Here are a few other interesting facts about creating one of the world’s most recognized trophies:
- It takes over 4 months for craftsmen and silversmiths to create the Super Bowl trophy.
- Silver plates for the trophy’s football and base are manufactured by a firm in Italy, which is the only supplier in the world who can provide high-grade silver plates that are large and thick enough.
- The trophy isn’t quite finished when it’s awarded to the winning team. After the celebrations are over, it is returned to Tiffany & Co. for one more cleaning and final engraving. O’Rourke jokes that the biggest issue at this point is the champagne that inevitably gets on the trophy.
Check out this video for a quick look at the process for making this iconic trophy. Many of the skills like blacksmithing, spinning and chasing are right out of the 1800s!
What’s your favorite part of the Super Bowl – the game, the ads or awarding of the trophy? Care to venture a guess on the trophy’s true value?