Esports has enjoyed a meteoric rise over the past decade and Thomas Lyte has moved with the times to become a trophy maker synonymous with the online gaming industry. An illustration of this is the original League of Legends Summoner’s Cup, designed and crafted in our London workshop that became one of the most prestigious trophies in the industry.
Thomas Lyte, a Royal Warrant holder, as silversmiths and goldsmiths to Her Majesty the Queen, have designed, made, and restored some of the most instantly recognisable trophies in the world of sport, including the Rugby World Cup and the Emirates FA Cup. The original League of Legends Summoner’s Cup, finally replaced by Riot Games in 2022, sit proudly alongside them throughout one of the most transformative decades in competitive gaming.
Presented annually, the Summoner’s Cup was the ultimate symbol of League of Legends mastery, as well as representing incredible artistry. Made primarily of brass, with silver and gold plating, and accented with brilliant flashes of blue provided by optical lead crystal, it took our specialist silversmiths and goldsmiths over 300 hours to construct.
An example of this willingness to embrace the future was witnessed in 2019 when Louis Vuitton signed a deal with Riot Games to encase the Summoner’s Cup in a Vuitton-designed travel trunk.
When first finished, the Summoner’s Cup weighed in at 32kg, making it one of the heaviest trophies ever produced by Thomas Lyte. The trophy was so heavy that Thomas Lyte was asked to reduce it, which we subsequently achieved. This may surprise some LOL Worlds champions, but for the majority of its lifetime, The Summoner’s Cup weighed half its original weight.
This trophy exemplifies the skills of our master craftsman, with eight silversmiths having worked tirelessly to produce a custom-made trophy specified in a design stage that saw us work hand-in-hand with Riot Games, the American publisher of League of Legends.
Standing at 70cm, the Summoner’s Cup was cast in brass and sterling silver, with 24-carat gold accents, the trophy was also embedded with 26% lead optical crystal. Using traditional methods of spinning, casting, hand chasing, and hand engraving, the trophy came to life in our London workshop.
Following the initial handcrafted process, Thomas Lyte then utilised our specialist electroplating tanks to provide the plating for a trophy which was first presented in October 2012 for Season 2 of the competition.
Our expert polishers then set to work, using polishing lathes capable of spinning at 3000rpm. These age-old methods – some of which date back to the Roman Empire – sat side-by-side with pioneering modern techniques, exemplified by the complete electrical system that enables the trophy to be fully illuminated, to stunning effect.
Thomas Lyte’s in-house quality control then set about ensuring the Summoner’s Cup hit the kind of exacting standards demanded of those who compete for it before it left London for its new life on the road.
#SKTWIN #Worlds pic.twitter.com/LXVsJ6tXgX
— lolesports (@lolesports) October 30, 2016
First competed for in 2012, the Summoner’s Cup was handed to the victorious League of Legends team on an annual basis for over a decade. Starting with just eight teams in 2011, the World Championships are now competed for by as many as 22, a reflection of the standing of a competition which, in 2018, attracted almost 100 million global viewers.
The tournament is played in a round-robin format, with the final four teams then involved in a play-off for the title. The event itself rotates between countries and continents annually.
Thomas Lyte has worked extensively in the ever-expanding esports industry. Alongside the Summoner’s Cup, we have also designed and made trophies for the LEC EMEA Championship; the FIFAe World Cup; the UEFA eChampions League, and the ePremier League trophies.
Our team make the conceivable possible, while preserving traditional skills, pioneering modern methods, and promoting authentic British craft across the globe. Combining the latest technologies with centuries of knowledge, Thomas Lyte’s silver workshops in London, England house world-class facilities for an elite team of designers and makers, masters of their craft. Learn about 3D printing, electroforming and other new technologies that our team have introduced to our sustainable handcrafting process.
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Materials. Brass, Silver Plate + 24 Carat Gold Plate
Workshop Processes. Casting, Spinning, Planishing, Filing, Sanding, Chasing, Polishing, Plating and Engraving
Thomas Lyte are proud to be the designers and makers of the original Summoner’s Cup.
Take a glance at these fast facts about one of the most prestigious trophies in esports.
