When the clock hits zero on Super Bowl Sunday, nobody is looking at the scoreboard anymore. All eyes are on that gleaming, silver football being hoisted above a sea of confetti. You’ve seen it a thousand times, but have you ever actually wondered what is the Lombardi Trophy made of?
Honestly, most people assume it’s just some heavy piece of chrome or maybe silver-plated plastic given how easily players toss it around during boat parades (looking at you, Tom Brady). But the reality is a lot more expensive—and a lot more traditional—than you might think. This isn't some mass-produced award sitting in a warehouse. It’s a custom-built piece of high-end jewelry that takes months of sweat to create.
The Secret Ingredient: What Is the Lombardi Trophy Made Of?
The short answer? Sterling silver. Specifically, the Vince Lombardi Trophy is composed entirely of .925 sterling silver. For those who aren't jewelry nerds, that means it is 92.5% pure silver mixed with 7.5% copper to give it enough strength to actually hold its shape. If it were 100% pure silver, it would be too soft; a single accidental drop by a celebratory linebacker would leave a massive dent.
Breaking Down the Specs
- Height: 22 inches (about the size of a very large toddler, but much shinier).
- Weight: Approximately 7 pounds (107.3 ounces).
- The Ball: It’s modeled after a regulation-size NFL football.
- The Base: A three-sided concave pedestal that makes it look like the ball is in a kicking position.
What’s wild is that while it weighs 7 pounds, the process actually starts with about 45 pounds of raw silver. The artisans at Tiffany & Co.—the same people who make those famous blue-box engagement rings—essentially carve, melt, and polish away most of that metal until only the masterpiece remains.
How Tiffany & Co. Actually Builds This Thing
The NFL doesn't just call up a trophy shop. Every single year, a brand-new trophy is handcrafted at the Tiffany & Co. hollowware workshop in Cumberland, Rhode Island. They’ve been doing this since the very first Super Bowl in 1967.
The process is kinda intense. It takes about four months of labor to finish one trophy. They use old-school techniques that haven't changed much since the 1800s. We're talking about spinning, silversmithing, chasing, and hand-engraving.
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First, they have to create the football and the base separately. They use a method called lost-wax casting. They sculpt a wax model, coat it in a ceramic shell, and then pour molten silver into the mold at temperatures exceeding 1,760°F. Once the silver cools, they literally smash the ceramic shell to reveal the rough metal underneath.
From there, it’s all about the "chasing" stage. An artisan uses a hammer and chisel to hand-carve the seams and the laces of the football. If you look closely at the trophy, those laces aren't just molded bumps; they are individually soldered and finished to look exactly like the leather on a Wilson pigskin.
The Money Question: What Is It Actually Worth?
People love to guess the price tag. If you were to just melt the thing down for its raw silver value in 2026, you’d probably walk away with a few thousand bucks—usually somewhere between $1,500 and $2,500 depending on the current market.
But as a finished product? The "intrinsic value" or the cost to produce it is usually cited at around $50,000.
Of course, that’s just the bill for the silver and the 72+ hours of expert labor. If one of these ever hit an actual auction block—say, the one the 1972 Dolphins won—you’re looking at hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars. It’s the history that pays the bills, not just the metal.
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Wait, Does the Team Get to Keep It?
This is a big distinction from other sports. In the NHL, there is only one Stanley Cup. You win it, you party with it for a summer, and then you have to give it back like a library book.
The NFL doesn't play that way. A new Lombardi Trophy is made every single year. When the Kansas City Chiefs or the San Francisco 49ers win, they keep that specific trophy forever. It goes into their facility's trophy case, and they never have to return it. Tiffany & Co. usually makes a few "backup" trophies just in case something goes wrong during the presentation, but the winning team only gets the one.
What Most People Get Wrong
One of the biggest myths is that the trophy is solid gold or gold-plated. It’s not. It’s strictly silver. Some older trophies or special editions might have had different finishes, but the standard Vince Lombardi Trophy is famously monochromatic.
Another misconception? That the players each get one. Nope. The team gets the 7-pound beast. The players, coaches, and staff usually receive miniature replicas that are about 6 to 10 inches tall. They’re still made of silver and are worth about $1,500 each, but they aren't the "Big Girl" you see on the podium.
Why the Design Never Changes
The design was originally sketched on a cocktail napkin. Seriously. In 1966, Oscar Riedener, a VP at Tiffany, sat down with NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle and drew the concept during lunch.
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It hasn't changed since.
The only thing that gets updated is the engraving. After the game ends, the trophy is actually sent back to Tiffany’s workshop. There, they hand-engrave the winning team’s name, the date, the location, and the final score. It’s the final touch on a four-month journey of fire and metal.
If you're looking to see one of these in person without winning a Super Bowl, your best bet is the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. They usually have various iterations on display, allowing you to see the "frosted" look of the newer NFL shields compared to the older, polished versions from the 70s.
Next Steps for the Super Bowl Fan:
If you're curious about the rest of the championship hardware, you should look into how Super Bowl rings are designed. Unlike the trophy, which stays the same every year, the rings are completely custom and often contain hundreds of diamonds and "easter eggs" hidden in the gold work that tell the story of the team's season.