Today trophies are awarded for a range of reasons; from academic achievement, sports and to recognise employers or employees. A trophy is a sign of recognition for the recipient then one they can keep as a permanent reminder. They could be inexpensive, made from plastic and wood directed at every participant in your child's soccer team, or they can also be a treasure to truly desire to, such as an Olympic medal or something that has been passed on over many years, like the America's Cup, a sailing trophy.
The annals of trophies extends back to ancient times. Produced from Mike's Trophies ' in 1513, this means "a spoil or prize of war", trophies also date back to ancient Greece. Through victory in battle the Greeks would create trophies from the captured arms, and hang these on a tree or stake on the battlefield. The facts of the battle were written on the arms and focused on the gods. Trophies were created out of entire ships following naval battles, which were organized on the beach. In Rome trophies were formed within their architecture, memorials that included columns and archways. Records of cups awarded in the late 1600s exist, although there's little known about the existence of trophies given through the center Ages. A particular cup called the Kyp Cup was awarded in 1699 for a short horse race between two New England towns.
The original Olympic games in ancient Greece did not award medals. Instead their trophies contains an olive branch converted to a crown and only the winner was recognised. The first modern Olympic games held in 1896 awarded silver medals. Today, needless to say, medals are awarded in gold, silver and bronze.
There are lots of famous sporting trophies awarded today. Many of these include:
FIFA World Cup
The current trophy has been awarded since 1974, although the competition has been held since 1930. It is the world's most widely watched tournament and held within a host nation every four years. The senior men's teams from 32 nations compete over a month, a position they must qualify for over the three years leading up to it.
Davis Cup
A major tennis trophy, this is first awarded in 1900. With a century of tradition the cup was donated by way of a Harvard student named Dwight Filley Davis and crafted by Rowland Rhodes in New England. This beautiful silver trophy may be the only original major sporting cup to possess lasted a century.
The Melbourne Cup
This stunning 18 carat gold trophy is recognised the world over, and is valued at $125,000. The race has been run since 1861 but today's design was created for the 1919 Melbourne Cup by James Steeth. Today exactly the same processes remain used to generate it, where 34 individual bits of gold are hand beaten over 200 hours.
Wimbledon
Two beautiful trophies are awarded at the oldest tennis tournament on earth, one which continues to be played on grass, the original tennis playing surface. The Gentlemen's singles winner is awarded a silver gilt cup that was first given in 1887. The winner of the Ladies singles receives a large silver dish know because the 'Venus Rosewater Dish', which is decorated with mythological figures.
Other famous cups include the Borg-Warner Trophy for the Indianapolis 500 champion; the Bledisloe Cup, an annual award for the winner of the Rugby Union between Australia and New Zealand; The Ashes, awarded to the winner of the cricket test series between Australian and England; the America's Cup for sailing and the AFL Premiership Cup.