Custom Deal Toys & Financial Tombstones

What Is a Deal Toy?

A deal toy, also known as a financial tombstone, is a custom commemorative award created to celebrate the successful closing of a significant financial or corporate transaction. These pieces are typically personalized with key deal details such as the transaction type, logos of involved parties, and the closing date; and are given to the teams, clients, and stakeholders who made the deal possible.

The tradition of deal toys dates back to Wall Street in the 1970s, when financial tombstones were printed advertisements publicly announcing deal closings. Today, they've evolved into physical, highly customized keepsakes crafted from premium materials like crystal and metal. They serve as both a memento and a status symbol for those involved in high-profile deals.

Why Deal Toys Matter in M&A Culture

In mergers, acquisitions, IPOs, and capital raises, deal toys reinforce team success and client relationships. They symbolize achievement, build credibility, and often occupy a prominent place in offices and boardrooms. A well-designed tombstone not only marks a milestone—it tells a story of collaboration, precision, and strategy.

Who Typically Orders Deal Toys?

Deal toys are commonly ordered by:

• Investment banks: to honor clients and internal teams after closing major transactions
• Law firms: to celebrate successful legal negotiations or settlements
• Private equity firms: to mark exits, acquisitions, or portfolio milestones
• Corporate finance teams: to recognize internal efforts behind funding rounds or partnerships

When Are Deal Toys Given?

Deal toys are presented at the close of a significant financial, legal, or strategic transaction. They are typically gifted during internal celebrations, client meetings, or post-closing wrap-up events. These pieces mark the culmination of months—or even years—of effort, symbolizing teamwork, success, and shared achievement.

Mergers & Acquisitions

Deal toys are most commonly used to commemorate M&A closings. Whether it's a billion-dollar acquisition or a strategic merger, these awards capture the complexity and success of the transaction, honoring all parties involved.

Initial Public Offerings (IPOs)

When a company goes public, the occasion deserves recognition. A custom tombstone featuring the stock ticker, exchange date, and logos is a lasting tribute to the IPO journey.

Debt & Equity Financings

Debt restructurings, capital raises, and private placements are all major financial milestones. Deal toys mark these achievements while reinforcing client relationships and firm credibility.

Legal Settlements

Law firms often create commemorative tombstones for complex legal victories or settlements. These awards recognize the strategic work behind high-stakes outcomes.

Real Estate Transactions

From commercial developments to property acquisitions, real estate deal closings are often celebrated with 3D custom shapes, embedded site renderings, or soil from the development location.

Strategic Partnerships

When two organizations form a long-term alliance or joint venture, a deal toy symbolizes the partnership and the shared vision ahead. These awards are often given to both internal teams and external collaborators.

Customization Options for Deal Toys

Every deal is unique—your commemorative award should be too. At Awards.com, we offer full customization capabilities to create deal toys that reflect the scale, structure, and significance of your transaction. From materials and shapes to embedded items and detailed engraving, we bring your vision to life with precision and creativity.

Acrylic Embedment of Logos, Soil, Oil, or Documents

Lucite (aka acrylic) allows for the permanent embedding of physical materials inside the award. Popular choices include printed logos, signed deal documents, oil or soil samples, stock certificates, or miniature replicas of properties or products. These create an eye-catching and tactile tribute to the deal.

3D Laser Engraving & UV Printing

Add depth and detail with 3D laser engraving or high-resolution UV printing. Whether it's a layered logo, financial data, or a stylized skyline, these processes create a dynamic, professional finish that sets your tombstone apart.

Fully Custom Shapes (e.g., logos, buildings, products)

We specialize in creating deal toys in the shape of your logo, your building, or a product tied to the transaction. From miniature skyscrapers to branded cut-outs, our design team can bring even the most complex ideas into physical form.

Text and Data Engraving (Deal Details, Dates, Firms)

Include essential transaction details such as firm names, deal size, date of closing, sector, and roles in the transaction. Every award is engraved with the data that matters most to you and your stakeholders—formatted clearly and professionally.

How Awards.com Designs Deal Toys

At Awards.com, we make the process of creating custom deal toys fast, collaborative, and stress-free. Our expert designers work directly with you to capture the story and structure of your transaction—and deliver a finished piece that stands out on any desk or display.

Free Concept Sketches & Renderings in 2 Days

We provide complimentary digital renderings for every deal toy project. Share your ideas, branding, or inspiration, and we'll return a visual mockup in just 3 to 5 business days—no commitment required. Quick revisions ensure the final design is exactly what you envision.

Work Directly with Award Designers

You'll work one-on-one with our in-house design team, not through a call center or third-party broker. From initial sketches to material selection and engraving layout, you'll have a dedicated expert guiding the process from start to finish.

Material Options: Lucite, Wood, Crystal, Metal

We offer a wide selection of premium materials to match your style and budget. Lucite is ideal for embedments and modern designs. Crystal adds weight and elegance. Wood and metal bases bring warmth and prestige, perfect for law firms and executive gifts.

Nationwide Delivery & Rush Options

We ship deal toys across the U.S. and internationally, with rush production and expedited shipping available for tight timelines. Whether you're preparing for a closing dinner or investor presentation, we'll deliver on time... guaranteed!

Who We Serve

Awards.com is trusted by clients across industries to create deal toys that reflect the professionalism and impact of their transactions. Whether you're a global investment bank or a boutique advisory firm, we offer the flexibility, design expertise, and production capacity to meet your needs.

Investment Banks & Private Equity Firms

We regularly work with bulge-bracket and middle-market banks, private equity funds, and capital advisory firms to produce custom tombstones for M&A, financings, and IPOs. Our deal toys help celebrate successful closings and strengthen client relationships.

Law Firms & Legal Departments

Corporate law firms, litigation specialists, and in-house legal teams rely on us to craft commemorative awards for landmark settlements, contract negotiations, and regulatory milestones. Each piece reflects the strategic complexity and dedication that went into the outcome.

Corporate Finance Teams

From Fortune 500 corporations to growing startups, internal finance and strategy teams turn to Awards.com to recognize transformational deals. Whether you're celebrating a divestiture, a capital raise, or a strategic alliance, we'll help you create a lasting memento.

Real Estate Developers

We work with commercial real estate firms, developers, and REITs to create building replicas, site-specific designs, and soil embedments for closings and ribbon-cuttings. These make excellent gifts for investors, contractors, or municipal partners.

Energy & Construction Firms

In the oil, gas, and infrastructure sectors, our clients use Lucite embedments to encapsulate core samples, crude oil, or groundbreaking memorabilia. These awards recognize the scale and significance of major development projects and partnerships.

Why Choose Awards.com for Deal Toys?

With decades of experience, in-house design expertise, and a reputation for quality, Awards.com is the trusted source for custom deal toys and financial tombstones. We understand the importance of getting every detail right, on time, on budget, and on brand.

40 Years of Experience in Custom Awards

We've been creating premium custom awards for over four decades. Our knowledge of materials, design, and engraving ensures your deal toys are crafted with precision and professionalism—no shortcuts, no surprises.

Factory-Direct Pricing and Expert Staff

As a true manufacturer, we cut out the middleman. You get competitive pricing, faster production, and personalized service from a team that knows your industry. Whether you're ordering five pieces or fifty, we deliver consistent quality every time.

Premium Materials and Fast Production

We use only high-grade materials to ensure each piece reflects the significance of your transaction. Most projects ship in 10 to 14 business days, with rush options available to meet urgent closing timelines.

Trusted by Global Brands and Boutique Firms

From multinational banks to regional advisory teams, our clients span the financial, legal, energy, and real estate sectors. When it's time to commemorate a deal, they turn to Awards.com for creativity, reliability, and results that impress.

Automated Deal Toy Fulfillment for Client Onboarding and Closings

Deal toy fulfillment can be fully automated using CRM platforms and workflow tools. Awards.com supports integrations with platforms such as HubSpot, Salesforce, and Zoho through tools like Zapier and Make.

You can set up workflows to trigger the creation of a custom deal toy when specific conditions are met. For example, a HubSpot deal stage marked "Closed Won" can automatically send a request to Awards.com with the client name, logos, closing date, and transaction details.

This automation removes manual steps from the recognition process. It ensures that every qualifying deal receives a branded, customized financial tombstone. Teams can define triggers based on deal size, client tier, product type, or region.

Awards.com provides secure endpoints and intake forms to support these workflows. Custom fields can be mapped to design templates or dynamic layouts for faster production. Our design team prepares the initial rendering and routes it for approval.

Once approved, the award enters production and ships to your internal team or directly to your client. Tracking information is sent automatically. This system supports scale and consistency for client gifting, compliance milestones, or onboarding recognition.

Contact us to set up a personalized automation solution tailored to your CRM and award preferences.