Tag: trophies
The Driver Suit Blog-The Goal of All Drivers in Racing…
By David G. Firestone
Hope you all had a great holiday season, whatever you celebrate. I turned 32 on Thursday, and am celebrating the first year of the The Driver Suit Blog. Ok, enough sappy stuff, on to this week’s column. I’m going to do things a little bit differently this week. This week’s article will be done in conjunction with another article I am writing for my other blog. DGF2099.com, both are about the same subject, trophies, but this article will be on racing trophies, whereas the other article will be on other trophies. Let’s get started.
For this week, we will focus on collecting trophies. Drivers race for two things, the love of the sport, and to win. Climbing out of the car in victory lane feels good, and being presented a trophy for winning feels even better. Interestingly, trophies and awards from NASCAR and other racing series are frequently finding their way into private collections, such as mine. It might seem odd that trophies make their way into private collections, but there are a myriad of reasons for this.
One reason for this is that after their racing career ends, drivers will sometimes need to make some money, and will sell them. Other times, they are sold to raise money for charity. Sometimes it is because they need more space. After a driver passes away, the family will sell off the trophies, because they don’t have the same meaning to the rest of the family. In any event, these artifacts are unique items to collect, and are as unique as the drivers who won them.
Drivers have been awarded everything from surfboards, wine bottles, and guitars, to grandfather clocks, and gas pumps. The grandfather clock is given out to winners at Martinsville was started in 1964. The story goes that track founder Henry Clay Earles was talking with Curtis Turner, and in the course of conversation, Turner mentioned he did not have the room for trophies, and had to give some away, so he decided to award a trophy with a legitimate function, and as luck would have it, Ridgeway Clocks had a factory 3 miles away from the track. Earles gave the first grandfather clock to Fred Lorenzen when he won the 1964 Old Dominion 500, and the rest is history.
Interestingly, giving trophies that had everyday functions is a lot more common than most people realize. This example is a silver footed tray.
It is 21 inches long, and 17.5 inches wide. It looks as though it could have been used for a tea service or as a serving tray for food at a party.
It was awarded to the winner of the Oilzum Motor Oil Trophy Race at Onteora Speedway in Olive New York. 
The name of the winner, and when the race was run has been lost to history. 
It has some scratches across the front, but for a trophy as old as it is, it is still in very good condition.
Award and function combine again in this 4 inch tall silver mug given to the winner of something called the SCCA Rallye on December 1, 1957. It has not fared as well as the tray, showing rust spots and discoloration.
Then again, there is something to be said for the traditional trophy. One driver who had a lot of them is Ernie Derr. Derr raced in IMCA or the International Motor Contest Association, which was founded in 1915, and is the oldest active auto racing sanctioning body in the United States. Derr has more victories and championships in IMCA than anyone else, having won a total of 328 wins and a staggering 12 IMCA championships. STP sponsored him for a number of years, and awarded him this STP Handicap trophy. 
It is 11 inches tall, with a winged wheel design, and a vintage STP logo decal, which is peeling off. Though the mirrored background around the STP decal is discolored, it is still in decent condition, though I have not been able to figure out what the STP Handicap is.
Springfield-Ozark Dragway was a mainstay for the NHRA in the 1960’s. This trophy was from an event in 1964. It is 28 inches tall, and is in great condition.
Races are won and lost on pit road, and having a great crew chief is key to winning. Pit crews are given trophies for helping their team win. Buddy Parrot was a NASCAR crew chief for 34 years, and helped Richard Petty, Darrell Waltrip, and Rusty Wallace. In 1996, he joined Roush Racing, as crew chief for Jeff Burton. Burton did not win a race in 1996, but Parrott was awarded this 1996 RCA Pit Strategy award.
It is a Plexiglass hexagon, over a foot tall, and 3 inches wide, some of the lettering is engraved into the Plexiglass, other lettering is added with decals, which are slightly peeling off.
The reasons why collectors like these trophies in their collections is that a trophy represents a drivers true success. It is the same reason collectors collect championship rings in their favorite sport. The trophies themselves have stories behind them, they are uniquely designed, and are treasured by the drivers, though sometimes circumstances lead them to being sold or auctioned off. They are unique and interesting to collect. and are great conversation pieces.
We will continue this discussion next week…
Vintage Item Spotlight-Trophy Roundup
By David G. Firestone
I’m going to do things a little bit differently this week. This week’s article will be done in conjunction with another article I am writing for The Driver Suit Blog both are about the same subject, trophies, but this article will be on trophies, whereas the other article will be on other racing trophies. Let’s get started.
Anyone who plays sports, or competes in competitions does so with one goal in mind…winning. They will say they do it because it is fun, or for the love of the game, but they really just want to win. To the victor go the spoils, and the spoils include pride, bragging rights, and the trophies.
Trophies can come in many shapes and sizes. Many older trophies combine form and function, in that they serve every day functions, such as this tea service from 1911. It consists of a tea pot
, creamer
, and sugar bowl. 
It was won by a wrestler for a first place win at an event, and the pot has “1P, alle 83 kg, 
Hans Van Paini Kilp, V&Us Jyry 1911, 14,15” engraved into it. Kans Val Paini Kilp means Kansainvälinen Paini Kilpailu or international wrestling competition. The handle of the pot has become detached at the bottom, and evidence of repair work is evident
. The pot also shows signs of age, with numerous scratches, scuffs, and chips.
The matching sugar bowl is in much the same state, but overall is in good condition.
The creamer has a dent in it, just under the spout, and shows the same age wear that the tea pot and sugar bowl show. 
The really interesting thing is that I have an original cabinet photo, taken in Helsinki Finland where Hans can be seen with this very tea service.
This vintage tray from 1915 has a very similar inscription as the tea service, and while I believe that they were won by the same person, I have no proof of this.
Form and function combine again in this coffee pot awarded to Chicago Cubs star Don Kessinger for appearing in the 1968 MLB All-Star Game.
It was his first of six appearances. It is made by the F. B. Rogers Silver Co. and is engraved with ALL STAR GAME 1968 DON KESSENGER on the front.
Time has not been as kind to this pot as it was to the tea service, the handle on the tap is missing, part of the leg is broken off, and the silver is heavily tarnished. It is still sturdy after all these years.
While Don Kessenger was having a great 1968 season, Jose Pagan was having a great couple of seasons, and won this Rawlings trophy for making the Sporting News Puerto Rican Baseball Professional League All-Star Team. 
The trophy is 18 inches tall, has a batter on a baseball figural which has become detached,
two gold eagles sitting on baseballs, 
and two engraving plates, a large trapezoid which reads “Jose Pagan, Third Base, 1967-68 All-Star” 
and the second is a smaller rectangle that reads “Presented by the Rawlings Sporting Goods Company for his as a selection as a member of the Sporting News Puerto Rican Baseball Professional League All-Star Team.” 
The plates show signs of age, and the back has a chip in it, but otherwise it is in good condition.
Albert Elko was the mayor of McKeesport Pennsylvania from 1966-1970, serving only one term. He was not very well liked, having been somewhat corrupt. During his tenure, he gave out these keys to the city.
The key is a large heavy brass key, about 4 inches long, and has two black circles, one on each side. One circle has the city seal, 
the other has a logo with “Greetings Mayor A Elko” etched into it.
A key to the city is a unique item to have in any form.
Sometimes a trophy can take an unusual form. Such is the case with this treasure chest from the PYC Regatta in 1973, won by Cotton Blossom II.
Measuring 10 inches long by 7 inches wide, by 6 ½ tall, and made out of wood, this black treasure chest has been painted black, had some decorative elements added to them, and has a plaque stating “Davy Jones Locker Regatta Winner Overall PYC 1973.” 
The inside has been lined with red felt. 
There is a small chip on the back of the lid.
It is a very appropriate design for a sailing trophy.
Form and function combine again to create this wine cooler.
It is a trophy for the Volney H. Kyle award from the Southeastern Gas Association. Made by Wallace Silversmiths, it was awarded to James J. Chaisson on September 19, 1975. 
It features an internal bucket to store the wine while cooling,
and is a Baroque by Wallace Silverplate model. It is in near perfect condition, still as shiny as the day it was made.
Held annually in Stuttgart, Germany, The Porsche Tennis Grand Prix is the oldest women’s indoor tournament in Europe. The winners of the tournament win money, trophies, and a Porsche 911. This trophy is from the 1982 singles final, which saw Martina Navratilova defeat Tracy Austin. This is the trophy that Austin received from that event. 
It shows some signs of age, with scratches, and the nameplate, and one of the Porsche logos are missing as well. The Porsche Tennis Grand Prix 82 logo is engraved into the cup, with “Endrunde Zunch Senioren Einzel 2 Platz” engraved below it. 
That translates to “final round zunch seniors single 2 place.” It has a classic design, and a classic look.
After a long and successful golf career, Arnold Palmer now works with a number of golf courses, owning Bay Hill, and designing others. His group took the Kings Bay Country Club, which has been founded in 1949, and in 1990 redesigned it to form the Deering Bay Country Club. This crystal trophy was awarded to a “Member-Guest” winner in 2001.
It is 18 inches tall, is in perfect condition, and is very heavy. The lid can be removed, and is in perfect condition.
Panoptic Studios was an Illinois based multimedia studio that was shut down after the owner, Paul Joseph Cirigliano was found guilty of running a Ponzi scheme. Panoptic had won a number of awards before Cirigliano was arrested, and they were subsequently sold off after he was sentenced to 9 years in jail. In 2008, they won an Ava Platinum Award for a “Motion Graphics Presentation, which was shared with another company known as Proforma. 
This Ava Platnum award features a woman wearing a dress holding a movie reel, and shows some tarnish on the silver. The engraved plate is still present on the trophy. 
The trophy as a whole is in great condition.
The next year, Panoptic won a Bronze Telly Award for the “Florida Highway Patrol Safe and Sober PSA” 
Telly Awards come in two groups Bronze and Silver, silver being the highest award. The trophy itself is a bronze winged human, with no visible features, and a bronze plate stating “2009 Telly Award, Panoptic Studios, Florida Highway Patrol, Safe and Sober PSA.” 
Like the Ava award, the Telly shows some tarnish on the metal, but is otherwise in great condition.
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