The first cup in our #TrophyThursday series is a real classic, The Emirates FA Cup – on what is the competitions’ 146th birthday!
Thomas Lyte was commissioned in 2013 to recreate the treasured FA Cup, having carefully restored the previous edition for 18 years. Over time, the features of the original trophy had worn away and the FA requested a new model based on the original design to retain the competition’s history.
Officially known as The Football Association Challenge Cup, it is a masterpiece of English silversmithing. Handcrafted by our team in London, it took over 250 hours hand-crafting the trophy from 6.3kg of Sterling 925 Silver. The 61.5cm tall trophy underwent the exacting processes of casting, hand chasing, hand engraving and polishing. These processes ensured that the third edition of the cup was a perfect replica of the original trophy.
Arsenal captain Thomas Vermaelen became the first player to lift the latest edition of the Emirates FA Cup after the Gunners’ 3-2 victory over Hull City in the enthralling 2014 final at Wembley. The competition was originally agreed on this day, the 20th of July in 1871 when Charles Alcock, the FA’s Secretary, had a proposal approved to introduce a ‘sudden death competition’ he had played at Harrow School but on a bigger scale.The original trophy was designed and made in silver by Martin Hall and Company for £20 and was known as ‘the little tin idol’.
The FA Cup is a national treasure and one of the most recognisable and cherished trophies in the world. Through the expertise of the Thomas Lyte craftsmen, the cup is restored to its former glory ready ahead of The FA Cup final at Wembley.
Happy Birthday to the FA Cup! We look forward to enjoying many more magical moments together.
Read about our press mentions and awards for the project
We have selected a number of case studies that demonstrate the broad range of our capabilities designing and making in precious metals.
