A special group of trophies was handed out this year after the Superbowl. Beyond the Vince Lombardi and MVP trophies was a special, cast bronze and walnut trophy that was handed out to NFL owners as a thank you for making the season happen, according to an article in the Bangor Daily News.

These special trophies were hand-crafted from a small, 17-employee investment casting facility in Hiram, Maine. New England Casting has a variety of previous work under its belt, ranging from jewelry to turbine engine parts to medical surgical tools.

“We’re a little company in Maine with few employees doing quite remarkable things,” Walter Butler, president of New England Castings, told the Bangor Daily News.

The trophies are bronze footballs inlaid with walnut. Each is individually marked, with the name of the receiver cast into the material, rather than engraved. The company produced 20 of the castings, with a total project time of six weeks.

Jillian Knuerr, Assistant Editor