Even trophies that you won can lose their meaning as time passes. What are some ideas for reusing them?
New Requsest: How can I recycle trophies? Is there someplace they can melt them down or what can I do with them?
Many times after years have passed, old trophies are put in yard sales, or donated to thrift stores. The marble pieces can make nice paper weights when you glue on a decorative object.
Makes for a nice token gift!
By Syd (06/17/2005)
By ThriftyFun
My brother uses the statue of the Old metal trophies to decorate in his garden. You just don't know what you will find in his yard. (06/17/2005)
By LOis.
For any seamstress use the marble to lay on your patterns rather than pinning them. You can cover the blocks with wallpaper to be colorful. Saves a lot of time when you need to cut out an outfit. (06/17/2005)
By LOis.
Call your local YMCA or YWCA and ask if they want the trophies. Sometimes they are recycled by charities or youth organizations. I donated my father's tennis trophies. He had a huge collection and they were too good to discard. (06/17/2005)
By Holly
I had about 25 trophies and 50 medals. I went through them and kept the first and the state trophy (dad was the coach so we got to keep it). I kept about 5 medals -- ones we won state etc.
It's hard at first to give away but you don't miss them.
Keep a few and give the rest to Goodwill - they might take them. Ours did.
(07/20/2005)
By
I understand that those who conduct Special Olympics activities for the disabled and handicapped can use old trophies to reward their "winners" (07/20/2005)
By Mesquaw
Yes, I have heard of nonprofits like Special Olympics re-using old trophies. They just take off the old engraved metal piece, replace it with a new one, and voila, new trophy. :-) I doubt old trophies can be "melted down," as many of them have a plastic core in the supposedly metal fancy tops. Even if they were solid metal, I doubt it would be economically worthwhile to melt them down.
I suggest calling some of your local trophy stores, to see if they have any leads on who might accept donations of old trophies. Good luck! (07/20/2005)
By Lynne
See if your local YMCA or YWCA needs them. (07/21/2005)
By Holly
I have a daycare in my home and we did a Special Olympics this year and I would have loved to have had a trophy to give each child at the end of our events! Instead I bought party favor necklaces that were on a red white and blue ribbon with a medallion on it. (07/21/2005)
By suzi homemaker
Instead of getting rid of the memories of your past accomplishments just transform them into something like Christmas Tree Ornaments.
Remove them from the base and tie fishing line to the top of it somehow, and they will probably turn out to be some of your most treasured ornaments! Of course there is a story behind every single one of them and they can be handed down generations to come.
By Jo
These are all good ideas, but I have not found the youth group or goodwill that really puts them to good use or wants them! I think someone could make a nice profit (or non-profit) by properly recycling and offering up to all the local teams that spend hundreds (thousands?) of dollars on them! (08/30/2006)
By STAIR
I removed the engravings and display them in a large shadowbox (velcro attach).
As for the trophies, I am very dismayed that the local Boys & Girls Club and the PAL (police athletic league) don't bother to even reply to my request to donate. They must get enough funding. (11/10/2006)
By Pam in S Fla
My son had a lot of bowling trophies. One year I got one as a no reason gift. He took the plate with his name on it off and in Black magic marker wrote "Best Darn Good Mom In The USA" and he signed his name on it. It is one trophy I will never get rid of. (11/10/2006)
By diane mcgee
I ran track for 26 years and have 5 bins of medals and trophies. I called my daughters elementary school and offered them the generic one that were plain to be re-used for field day at the end of the year. (School saves money and kids go home with medals instead of ribbons) (11/28/2006)
By Endira
Update: I am still collecting trophies and will be until November. I want to thank those who have donated, it means so much!
Hi,
If anyone has some trophies they don't need anymore and is willing to donate them please let me know. I am in an art show in Dallas and I need about 3000 (I'm half way there!). I have a DHL account set up and I pay for shipping as well.
The picture I am attaching displays some of the trophies I already have. The object behind it is a model staircase, which I intend to build with the 3000 trophies.
Thank you so much for your time. Feel free to contact me at mca10 at hotmail dot com.
mca10 at hotmail dot com (06/21/2007)
By mca10
I know you can donate old medals to http://www.medals4mettle.org/. I don't know if they take trophies and plaques. (07/03/2007)
By Teri
Another use...see http://www.gccreativeimages.com/donate.html. This company is a trophy store that can accept your donations and remove any engravings. Then they can reuse them with unique personalizations for other charity organizations. This is a great use for things like a personalized plaque with your name on it. After all, I bet some random child doesn't want Joe Bob's 3rd place trophy for bass fishing, but they would probably love one with their own name and event on it, or even Joe Bob's trophy with a generic "to a winner!" engraved on it. (07/03/2007)
By Teri
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