Yes we are the best department on campus; didn't you see our trophy?
May 5, 2008 2:42 PM Subscribe
Where can I buy a fake trophy online? The bigger (and cheaper) the better.
I'm looking to buy a "fake" trophy for my grad school department, something along the lines of a "Best ____" award (with the ____ to be determined). Ideally this trophy would be pretty large (2-3 feet / ~1 meter tall), but we're on a limited budget. Google returns many websites for buying trophies online, but does anyone have personal experience and/or recommendations? Thanks in advance!
I'm looking to buy a "fake" trophy for my grad school department, something along the lines of a "Best ____" award (with the ____ to be determined). Ideally this trophy would be pretty large (2-3 feet / ~1 meter tall), but we're on a limited budget. Google returns many websites for buying trophies online, but does anyone have personal experience and/or recommendations? Thanks in advance!
What does "fake" mean in this context? Because for fake and cheap and 3 feet tall, I'd probably buy a plastic urn from a garden center, spray paint it silver or gold, and hot-glue it to a wooden cube of some kind. If you didn't mind it looking a bit comical. If you want a real 3-foot tall silver loving cup, cheap probably doesn't enter into the equation. I'd consider hitting estate sales/thrift stores and trying to find an elaborate silver-plated coffee urn of some sort.
posted by mumkin at 3:06 PM on May 5, 2008
posted by mumkin at 3:06 PM on May 5, 2008
Might be easier to hit up yard sales or secondhand stores (or Craigslist, as peachfuzz suggested) and put a new nameplate on it.
Either that, or go to a real trophy store and get a new one, but that would be more expensive.
posted by MegoSteve at 3:27 PM on May 5, 2008
Either that, or go to a real trophy store and get a new one, but that would be more expensive.
posted by MegoSteve at 3:27 PM on May 5, 2008
Response by poster: Thanks for the alternative suggestions so far; I hadn't thought of Craigslist or Freecycle.
mumkin: By fake I mean not actually awarded by any official organization. I think we'd like to go with a longer-lasting, realistic trophy, but thanks for your advice! You're right about a real trophy not being cheap.
posted by homer2k1 at 4:17 PM on May 5, 2008
mumkin: By fake I mean not actually awarded by any official organization. I think we'd like to go with a longer-lasting, realistic trophy, but thanks for your advice! You're right about a real trophy not being cheap.
posted by homer2k1 at 4:17 PM on May 5, 2008
Me and a buddy bought a few HUGE motocross trophies at a secondhand store. A few weeks later, a handyman came by to fix something in our house and saw the trophies and started telling us about how when he was younger, he would race motocross, but never won any trophies and he got real sad...
posted by smithygreg at 4:50 PM on May 5, 2008 [3 favorites]
posted by smithygreg at 4:50 PM on May 5, 2008 [3 favorites]
I see trophies at thrift stores all the time. If you can borrow a label maker, it's easy to paste a label over the existing plaque. It's also funny when a bowler or karate guy is on a trophy for something unrelated.
posted by Frank Grimes at 5:03 PM on May 5, 2008
posted by Frank Grimes at 5:03 PM on May 5, 2008
This isn't big enough but I couldn't not mention it, if only for inspiration for the one you're going to find/make: Trophy of Perpetual Futility.
That said, if I were in your shoes I would go to a local trophies-and-tshirts shop and see what you like in the catalog. There's a lot of cheap plastic silvery and gold-y trophies to be had that wouldn't even break a little league budget.
posted by mendel at 6:23 PM on May 5, 2008 [2 favorites]
That said, if I were in your shoes I would go to a local trophies-and-tshirts shop and see what you like in the catalog. There's a lot of cheap plastic silvery and gold-y trophies to be had that wouldn't even break a little league budget.
posted by mendel at 6:23 PM on May 5, 2008 [2 favorites]
One of the things about thrift store trophies is that you can amalgamate them together into giant clusterfuck trophies that look sort of like real ones but not. We made ourselves one for the marching band when I was in college so that we'd have something to put in the school trophy case. Frankentrophy. Then you can take the money you would have spent buying a "real" fake trophy and make a great plaque for them that looks semi official. I recomment as many bowlers and swimmers as you can get, their poses look funny together.
posted by jessamyn at 6:34 PM on May 5, 2008
posted by jessamyn at 6:34 PM on May 5, 2008
Response by poster: Awesome suggestions everyone!
mendel: That statue is fantastic and you made me laugh out loud. Maybe not for this project, but it will certainly find its way to one of my friends or officemates in the future.
jessamyn: Frankentrophy sounds like a great Plan B if we can't find something else.
posted by homer2k1 at 7:19 PM on May 5, 2008
mendel: That statue is fantastic and you made me laugh out loud. Maybe not for this project, but it will certainly find its way to one of my friends or officemates in the future.
jessamyn: Frankentrophy sounds like a great Plan B if we can't find something else.
posted by homer2k1 at 7:19 PM on May 5, 2008
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posted by peachfuzz at 2:50 PM on May 5, 2008 [1 favorite]