Trophies are bought on a photo and a unit price and judged on a shelf five years later. These four decisions are what decide the second part.

Ask how far the threaded rod goes

A column trophy is clamped together by a single rod. If that rod only engages the top section, the joint is a couple of threads and some glue, and the figure will eventually work loose and spin.

A rod that runs the full height and is torqued onto the base has nothing to come loose. It costs almost nothing. Ask the question; most suppliers will not know the answer, and that is itself informative.

Buy the base, not the height

Height is the cheapest thing to add to a trophy, which is exactly why quotes are written in inches. A tall trophy on a light hollow base is top-heavy and tips the first time a bedroom door slams.

Ask for base dimensions and, if you can get it, weight. Two trophies described as the same height can be entirely different products.

Know what the figure is made of

At league prices, it is moulded plastic with a bright plated or metallic-painted finish. That is not a scandal — it is the whole industry — but you should know, because it changes what you expect after a few years.

The finish wears at high points and edges first and shows grey plastic underneath. Cast metal figures exist and cost several times as much. If a supplier calls a league-priced figure metal without qualification, treat everything else they say the same way.

Match the material to the audience

Column and resin trophies for players. Acrylic or crystal for coaches, sponsors and lifetime awards — a figure on a column reads as a child’s trophy in an adult’s hands.

Acrylic is light, tough and cheap to post. Crystal is heavy, has real optical depth and will shatter. If you are mailing twenty sponsor awards, acrylic is the right answer.

Treat the name list as the risk it is

Engraving cannot be undone. Send the list exactly as you want it cut, get a proof of every line, and have somebody who is not the person who typed it read it back.

And give your supplier the banquet date at the quote stage. A date known two weeks out is a scheduling question; a date revealed four days out is a problem.