Celebrating a Lifetime of Achievements: A Brief History of the Trophy

Whether it's for a sports tournament, an art performance, or a spelling bee, winning a trophy feels pretty great.

Perhaps that's why so many people have trophy cases in their homes or keep their trophies on display.

But, do you ever wonder how the trophy started? What is the history of trophies?

Check out this guide to discover a brief history of the trophy.

The Origin

The word 'trophy' actually originates from the French word 'trophee' which translates to 'a spoil of prize and war'.

In the 1550s, the English adapted the French term to highlight the victory of the English in the 15th-century war.

However, while the origin of the word traces back to the French, the origin of the trophy itself actually traces back to ancient Greece.

In ancient Greece, winners of battle would gather spoils of war and hang them from a tree or stake to resemble a warrior. This demonstrated victory in the war.

Ancient Romans also made use of the trophy for memorial purposes. The magnificent trophies of ancient Rome were often constructed of stone arches and columns atop a foundation.

In fact, outside of Rome, there still remains huge stone memorials that used to be topped with sculpted stone trophies.

Olympic Games

While the concept of a trophy originates during Ancient Greek wartime, trophies really became popularized during the first Olympic games.

In ancient Greece, trophies were made from laurel wreaths and amorphas containing sacred oil.

During the first modern Olympic games in 1896, the first place winner was awarded a silver medal. At the time, silver was a more precious metal than gold.

Middle Ages - 17th Century

While little is known about trophies during the Middle Ages, we do know that chalices were given to sporting event winners as early as the late 17th century.

In fact, in the Henry Ford Museum in Michigan, you can find an exquisite sterling cup that was given to the winner of a short horse race called the Kyp Cup which took place between two small towns in (what is currently now) New England.

During the 17th century, it was also common to give chalices made of silver or gold for winners of other horse races. Later, chalices also were awarded for boating and automobile racing.

This is the reason why today, many major trophy awards are given in the form of a chalice. Chalices (or trophy cups) are awarded to winners of the Stanley Cup, the World Cup, and the Davis Cup.

The Trophy Today

Thanks to manufactured plastic, trophies are now awarded more frequently and are much less expensive.

In fact, trophies you find these days are made almost exclusively from plastic, save for those made for major national and international events.

History of the Trophy: Are You Ready to Award or Win a Trophy?

As you can see, the trophy has had a very important role throughout history.

If you're looking to hand out trophies to the winners of your next event, please check out our selection today.