Old trophies that need to go
There comes a day when most people look at an old trophy and wonder why they have kept it so long. Maybe it's the realization that a participant trophy for a marathon run 10 years ago isn't nearly as cool to have on the shelf as it was then. Or maybe it is the realization that the Little League trophy in the storage box is really taking up space that can be used for other stuff. One thought is to sell the piece of hardware to a store that makes trophies. Fat chance. Trophy makers rarely buy back old pieces because it is not worth the trouble of taking them apart. They'd rather build new. So, what does a person do with an old trophy?
Instructions
1. Reuse them in other sports. A popular running race in South Carolina is the Tiger Trails 5K, which is a massive non-season high school cross country meet that also attracts top adult amateurs. One of the highlights is the reused trophies with the nameplates removed that are given to winners. For example, the top male runner may get a two-foot high bowling trophy while the second-place finisher may get a Little League participation trophy. The unique trophy idea started when the organizers realized they owned dozens of old trophies collected from other races.
2. Landscape the garden. The Beatles did it on the Sgt. Pepper's album cover and many people still do. An old trophy cup can make an interesting bird bath or a simple ornament in the garden. But don't do what former Montreal Canadians star Guy Lafleur did in the late 1970s. He put the Stanley Cup (aka the oldest championship trophy in North America) on his lawn so his neighbors could see. That lasted until his son started spraying the famed trophy with a water hose.
3. Sell them to a pawn shop or antique store. Yes, a person likely won't get much money, but remember the old adage of one man's treasure is another man's garbage. So, who buys old trophies from an antique store? People putting on the race in the first step or people who are into retro art.
4. Put them in a box and throw them away. Most trophies are a combination of hard plastic, metal screws and some metal. Most dumps (and some recycling places) will take them. However, do check with your local sanitation company first.
5. Donate them back to a school. If the trophy is of some importance such as a collegiate conference MVP award, the school that the player won it at may want it for its collection.
Tags: antique store, Little League, realization that