Wimbledon Quarter-Finals Week: The Gentlemen’s Cup at 129 Years 🎾

Wimbledon enters its second week with Murray, Federer, and Djokovic still in the draw. The Gentlemen’s Singles Trophy — silver-gilt, pineapple-finialled, lifted since 1887 — is the oldest tennis trophy in active use.

Silver-Gilt Survives 129 Years

The Wimbledon Gentlemens Cup is silver-gilt — sterling silver with a thin gilt (gold) plating over the surface. Pure gold would be too soft for a heritage trophy; pure silver would tarnish too dramatically. The gilt-over-silver technique gives the warmth of gold with the structural integrity of silver. For your perpetual cup intended to last a century, silver-gilt outperforms pure gold or plated zinc on every dimension.

Replica Trophy for Winner Takes Home

The original Wimbledon Cup never leaves the All England Club. Winners receive a three-quarter-scale replica to take home. The replica system protects the heritage artifact while still giving champions a substantial trophy. For your tournament with a high-value perpetual cup, commissioning a replica program (~฿15,000 per replica) is cheaper than insurance for off-site appearances and prevents the original from accumulating travel damage.