What are Financial Tombstones & Deal Toys?

Financial Tombstones (also known as deal toys) are customized gifts that are used to commemorate the closing of a major business deal in financing, investment banking, or real estate. Financial tombstones are often custom designed to capture a unique element of the transaction, and then presented to all the major parties of the transaction in recognition of their efforts and contributions. Financial tombstones are usually produced in the lead up to a major corporate deal and are typically presented at a special deal closing ceremony.

As coveted status symbols, today’s premium financial tombstones are often made of wood or crystal, though some are still made of lucite. Quality and craftsmanship are more important than ever because deal toys have become a symbol of how your company operates and chooses to do business. In the world of finance, it is a point of honor to receive a financial tombstone! Many financiers and investment bankers proudly display their financial tombstones in highly visible spots within their offices, leveraging extra value from their deal toys as visual marketing tools for potential new clients and partners. A big collection of eye-catching financial tombstones means they’ve participated in many major financial transactions, they are successful and experienced, team players, and they’ve earned the hardware to prove it! 

If you have the responsibility of ordering financial tombstones for your company, think about the moment where they will be presented to each recipient. It’s a moment of celebration, so you’ll want to feel confident and proud when you hand out your financial tombstones, knowing that they are well-made and impressive. You don’t want to feel embarrassed or apologetic for handing out out pieces that are cheap and poorly made. 


Be sure to select a reliable supplier that will deliver custom financial tombstones that you can proudly present! To help you, we’ve assembled a few tips to make sure you’re the office hero when your order of financial tombstones is delivered!

 

HOW TO ORDER CUSTOM FINANCIAL TOMBSTONES AND DEAL TOYS ONLINE

  1. Aim to start planning about 4-6 weeks before you want to present your financial tombstones. Determine how many you’ll need to recognize your team, when you’d like them delivered by (ideally a few days before your event), the details you’d like to highlight on your deal toys, and an approximate budget (typically between $100-$200 per piece). Consider the materials you’d like to use: high quality crystal and eco-friendly wood tombstones are always popular and well-received. Lucite and acrylic are also common materials, though more people are trying to avoid plastics these days. You don’t need all of these details finalized to place an order, but the more you can organize early, the easier it will be.

  2. Select a reliable and established financial tombstone supplier as your partner. Search for a company with in-house production capability that is responsive, easy to work with, experienced, and design-savvy. You’ll want graphic design services and artwork proofs to be provided as well. Read their client testimonials. Reach out to potential suppliers and see how they respond, you can learn a lot from your first interaction! Some suppliers provide extensive customization, which can also require an extensive design process; while some suppliers like Eclipse Awards, work with a curated set of popular financial tombstone styles that can be customized through creative graphic design and markings to streamline the process.

  3. Connect with your chosen supplier and let them know what you’d like to accomplish. Share the details you gathered in step #1. Typically, your customer service representative will confirm the details of your order and gather any remaining details or files. Once everything is organized, your order will go into a design stage that incorporates everything you’ve provided. Design can take anywhere from 1-3 days, then you should receive an artwork proof of the proposed design for your financial tombstones.

  4. Review your artwork proof closely, this is critical! Make sure that all logos are correct, along with punctuation, grammar, and any figures or dates that are listed. If possible, have a second set of eyes review the proofs. If something is missing or incorrect, now is the time to correct it! If changes are required, request a new artwork proof. Once the design is perfect, send back your approval to ensure everyone is on the same page. Once you’ve approved your proofs, production begins and design changes are no longer possible.

  5. Once your order is in production, there’s not much you can do. This is a good time to plan for your event and how you will present your financial tombstones. Once your order is complete and shipped, you should be notified. Be sure to get a tracking number so that you can follow the progress of your shipment.

  6. Check your order upon arrival! Be sure to open your order soon after it arrives, don’t leave it in a corner until your event. Make sure that all pieces are in good condition and accounted for. If there are any issues, you’ll want to report those immediately. Hopefully your supplier has policies in place if there are any issues. If everything looks good, then get prepared to enjoy presenting your financial tombstones with confidence!

 

WHAT TO INCLUDE ON FINANCIAL TOMBSTONES AND DEAL TOYS

Financial tombstone designs vary by the type and details of the transaction. Typically these include:

  1. Type and size of the transaction

  2. Date of the transaction

  3. Names and corporate logos of key financiers and participants

These elements are then laid out onto the deal toy style that you’ve selected. Note that when it comes to designing your financial tombstones, there is no limit to what can be included.

WHEN TO PRESENT FINANCIAL TOMBSTONES AND DEAL TOYS

Consider presenting customized financial tombstones whenever you want to celebrate a special milestone or transaction. You can order 5 or 50, the key is to take time to recognize successes and to appreciate the people that contribute to your success. Financial tombstones are often used to mark the following occasions:

  • Celebrating Mergers & Acquisitions

  • IPO’s

  • New Partnership Announcements

  • New Stock Issues

  • Real Estate Transactions

  • Attaining Fundraising Goals

  • Prominent or Groundbreaking Legal Settlements

Customized financial tombstones can help you celebrate any important milestone for your company. 

 

FINANCIAL TOMBSTONES AND DEAL TOYS BY ECLIPSE AWARDS - WHAT SETS US APART?

Established in 1998, Eclipse Awards is a relative newcomer that established itself as one of North America’s premier trophy shops, noted for its legendary customer service, reliability and commitment to quality. Other notable companies include:

As an established boutique awards manufacturer, Eclipse Awards has over 25 years of  experience in creating highly coveted, customized gifts….which makes us a perfect fit as a financial tombstone supplier! We deliver value by curating a collection of timeless and popular award styles that we turn into customized deal toys through creative graphic design and markings. This way, more of your money goes into quality and craftsmanship to create impressive financial tombstones, and less into pursuing odd designs and materials to create novelty tombstones. The result is an efficient, streamlined, and cost effective approach to producing awesome financial tombstones every time! 

Eclipse Awards can customize any of the awards and trophies seen here as financial tombstones. Or click through to our sister site Eclipse Awards to view some of our most popular styles of custom financial tombstones!

If you’re looking for impressive financial tombstones that can be delivered reliably and cost-effectively in tight timelines, give Eclipse Awards a call and we’ll make sure you become the office hero!

Want to learn even more about financial tombstones? Click here to visit Wikipedia.