Sports
Super Bowl's Crown Jewel Made Here in New Jersey
Coveted silver trophy awarded to annual NFL champion has been constructed in the state for 47 years.
Super Bowl XLVIII kicks off at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford in about a week with Peyton Manning and the AFC champion Denver Broncos facing Russell Wilson and the NFC champion Seattle Seahawks.
Each year, numerous skilled craftspeople take about four months to complete the Vince Lombardi Trophy, and this year, the trophy will travel only about 30 miles to get to its destination.
Since 1967, the trophy has been crafted each year in New Jersey and most recently in the Tiffany & Co. workshop in Parsippany on Sylvan Way.
The 22-inch tall trophy was originally designed by then Tiffany & Co. Vice President Oscar Riedener, who sketched the trophy’s basic design during a meeting with then NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle.
It wasn’t until 1970 that the trophy took on its current name in honor of Vince Lombardi, the former coach of the Green Bay Packers who won the first two Super Bowls.
The trophy, which is topped by a regulation-sized replica football, made entirely of sterling silver, is created by master artisans at Tiffany & Co. who use silversmith techniques such as spinning, chasing, hand engraving and polishing, the company said.
After the clock hits triple-zero and a new football champion is crowned, the trophy is passed around to each member of the franchise, but the handling of the jewelry is short-lived. The trophy is then taken back to Tiffany’s workshop where the name of the winning team is hand engraved on its base.
The Parsippany workshop is also the birthplace of other famous trophies. A second Tiffany and Co. production will be on display after the big game, the Pete Rozelle Trophy, which is presented to the Super Bowl's most valuable player. The trophy is named for the former commissioner who is credited with widening the sport's popularity, helping to make it what it is today.
Here are other famous trophies created in Parsippany:
Since 1967, the trophy has been crafted each year in New Jersey and most recently in the Tiffany & Co. workshop in Parsippany on Sylvan Way.
The 22-inch tall trophy was originally designed by then Tiffany & Co. Vice President Oscar Riedener, who sketched the trophy’s basic design during a meeting with then NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle.
It wasn’t until 1970 that the trophy took on its current name in honor of Vince Lombardi, the former coach of the Green Bay Packers who won the first two Super Bowls.
The trophy, which is topped by a regulation-sized replica football, made entirely of sterling silver, is created by master artisans at Tiffany & Co. who use silversmith techniques such as spinning, chasing, hand engraving and polishing, the company said.
After the clock hits triple-zero and a new football champion is crowned, the trophy is passed around to each member of the franchise, but the handling of the jewelry is short-lived. The trophy is then taken back to Tiffany’s workshop where the name of the winning team is hand engraved on its base.
The Parsippany workshop is also the birthplace of other famous trophies. A second Tiffany and Co. production will be on display after the big game, the Pete Rozelle Trophy, which is presented to the Super Bowl's most valuable player. The trophy is named for the former commissioner who is credited with widening the sport's popularity, helping to make it what it is today.
Here are other famous trophies created in Parsippany:
- The National Basketball Association's Larry O'Brien Championship trophy
- Major League Baseball's World Series trophy
- The U.S. Open Tennis Championship trophies.
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