The Trophies of Jewellery Quarter
The Jewellery Quarter is an area of Birmingham with Europe’s largest concentration of jewellery businesses, and also an area in which a surprising number of famous sports trophies have been made over the years.
It all began in the 19th century, when both the men’s and ladies’ Wimbledon trophies were created in this area of Birmingham by a firm of silversmiths, costing the All England Lawn Tennis Club 100 guineas. After the creation of such a historic tennis trophy, there was no looking back, as sporting trophies became more common, Birmingham quickly became the lead player in this area, and maintains its position today. Here are a few other famous trophies that originate from the city:
– Once the original FA Cup trophy was lost in the city by Aston Villa, after burglars broke into a shop and stole it, the Jewellery quarter was then called upon to create an exact replica of the trophy cup. The same company still continues to make medals for the Football League whilst also maintaining some historic athletics medals from the London 1908 Olympics.
– The same company, Vaughton and Sons, have been producing the Premier League Winners medals for roughly 20 years, making them out of silver and then gold-plating them with the emblem.
– Birmingham designer, Bernard Cuzner, created the Olympic Torch for the London 1948 games, and still has the torch in his collection today.
– The Lonsdale belts given to boxing champions are another high-profile award that is made in Birmingham. The belts are die stamped from silver before being machined and high finished, giving a recognisable boxing award that British boxers strive towards.
Overall, Birmingham has produced some historic, and extremely famous, trophies for various UK Sports and competitions over the years, keeping up its reputation and ensuring that there are some top quality trophies available for the sporting greats.