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David Drapkin/AP Photo1 of 13
What you see on the left is actually the first step in assembling the most famous sports prize in America: the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Keep clicking to go behind the scenes at the factory that puts together the NFL's Super Bowl trophy.
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David Drapkin/AP Photo2 of 13
Tiffany and Co. has been in charge of making the Super Bowl trophy since 1967. The original design was sketched on a cocktail napkin during a lunch between Tiffany's then vice president Oscar Riedener and the NFL's then commissioner Pete Rozelle in New York City.
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David Drapkin/AP Photo3 of 13
The trophy is put together by craftspeople at the Tiffany and Co. industrial workshop in Parsippany, N.J.
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The factory workers mold the plates of sterling silver into the shape of a football using heat from flames.
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Tiffany's employees aren't just trained in the art of making football trophies, they make all of Tiffany's other silver products.
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Riedener didn't know what a football looked like when he was given the original assignment, so he had to buy a toy football to complete his design.
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Fine details are added to the football, from the stitches in the sides of the ball...
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...to the laces.
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The only part of the trophy that has changed is the NFL's shield.
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The league has changed the NFL shield twice since the original trophy was made in 1967.
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Riedener made the first model of the trophy with scotch tape, a pair of scissors and a box of cereal, a far cry from the silver and flames used for the real thing.
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After the Super Bowl is played, the trophy is shipped back to Parsippany to engrave the participating team names, the date, the location and the score on the trophy.
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David Drapkin/AP Photo13 of 13Next: The Funniest Photos You Will See Today
The end result is the most recognizable trophy in American sports.
RULE No29
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3 Comments
It's not even steel. Tiffany makes it out of sterling silver.
February 04 2013 at 10:51 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply'Steal'? Try 'steel', you idiot.
January 18 2013 at 2:37 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyWho cares? The wrong team's getting it anyway.
February 04 2013 at 12:18 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply