Antique & Vintage Trophy Repairs
Sterling Silver Trophy Repair
Sterling silver trophy repaired
This sterling silver trophy (above) arrived with the trophy cup broken from the stem. The trophy cup was wrinkled, dented, and very damaged, especially at the bottom center of the cup where the silver was the thinnest. The base was crushed. The trophy also had a coating that was extremely difficult to remove. This was an expensive repair and I should have charged twice as much.
In the photos below are two different sterling silver trophies. The dents were removed, cups made round, and handles reshaped to restore these trophies to their former glory.
Silverplate Trophy Polishing
Antique Early-20th-Century silverplated athletic tROPHY
This three-handled athletic trophy from the early-20th-century is silverplated. It arrived black with tarnish but it polished up beautifully. Early-20th-century silverplate is usually of better quality than a mid or late-20th-century silverplate object. Even at 100 years old, this trophy looks great!
Vintage Silverplate Trophy
Trophies often come to me with issues like bent or misshapen cups, damaged handles, worn bases, dents, and old plating. Restoring vintage trophies is a multi-step process.
CLICK HERE to learn more about Vintage Silverplate Trophy Repair and Restoration.
Vintage SILVERPLATE TROPHy with new silverplating
Often old trophies will have worn out and chipped silver plating. The trophy in this photo needed some minor repairs before being re-plated. New plating can significantly improve the appearance of an old trophy.
Vintage Silverplated Trophy with Lacquer Removal
Over the years lacquer can become yellow and dramatically alter the surface appearance of a trophy. Removing lacquer is time-consuming but less expensive than re-plating. After the lacquer is removed it is possible for the customer to polish the trophy themselves. Look at the SILVER CARE page to see my recommendations for polishing silver.
19th-century Antique Silverplate hunting Trophy
To qualify as an antique an object must be at least 100 years old. Trophies this old often have a lot of age-appropriate wear that is part of their character. I always try to make sure that my repairs and restorations preserve the unique antique character of the object. Anything 100 years old will have been through a lot. Many of the techniques used to construct the object are no longer used and this makes the repair more challenging. There are no replacement parts.
Pewter trophy restoration
Vintage pewter trophy
This trophy arrived with dents in the side, the trophy cup was out of round and the lid was dented so it no longer fit together. The most significant damage was that the base was crushed in and down in the middle, and the top was crushed. The trophy cup was also broken off the base. In the photos above you can see the damage before restoration and after it was repaired and polished.
Spalding 1928 Baseball trophy
Athletic figure trophies have their own set of repair and restoration issues. Most often breaks happen at the ankles or legs where it is the weakest. The older the trophy, the more likely a repair is possible. Older trophies typically were made of higher quality materials Trophies made after 1963 typically will not solder because the metal is of poor quality. I understand the sentimental value that trophies often have, however, unless the trophy is unusually unique or made out of sterling silver, it is unlikely that a repair is possible or practical on more recently made trophies.
Click here to see examples of vintage and antique Athletic Figure Trophy repairs.