Jewellery supplier lands Melbourne Cup trophy deal

Posted November 10, 2015 | By Stephanie Chan • Staff Journalist

A local metal services provider has been awarded a five-year contract to manufacture the prestigious horse racing award, the Melbourne Cup.

As part of a new partnership with Victoria Racing Club (VRC), ABC Bullion, a division of Pallion, will produce the 18-carat gold, 1.65 kg Melbourne Cup from 2016.

Pallion CEO Andrew Cochineas said the appointment as the trophy’s manufacturer, which followed a competitive tender process, was both an honour and a privilege.

“We look forward to using our technical expertise in precious metal to produce truly beautiful Melbourne Cups,” he said. “It is a true international treasure that we are very proud to now hold within our production portfolio.”

Cochineas said he viewed the appointment as an “esteemed custodian position” that would not only contribute to Australian history but also to the future of the Australian jewellery industry and related trades.

“Part of our pride in producing the Melbourne Cup has been our commitment to ensuring that the skills necessary to produce it are passed down to a new generation of master craftspeople,” he explained. “The ABC Bullion team and the broader Pallion community are passionate about keeping the production of such iconic Australiana in Australia.”

Simon Love, VRC chief executive

Cochineas said ABC Bullion would uphold the iconic design of the award also known as the ‘Loving Cup’, whose three handles represent the relationship between the winning jockey, trainer and owner.

“This was a very important part of the tender process, ensuring we stayed true to all measurements, weights, and manufacturing traditions of the original Cup,” he stated. “It actually gave us the ability to draw on all of the technology, infrastructure and skillset of each division of Pallion.”

All-Australian production

Valued at $175,000, the trophy – which has already been manufactured for next year’s event – contained 44 pieces that were hand spun over a 250-hour production process.

The gold used to produce the Melbourne Cup was refined from gold doré – a gold and silver alloy – by Pallion subsidiary ABC Refinery. Various other Pallion subsidiaries were also involved in the production process, including Palloys, which used CAD technology to ensure the trophy components matched the exact size and shape of the original design.

“This will be the first time in the Melbourne Cup’s 150-year history that [the trophy] will be wholly mined, refined, fabricated and constructed in Australia using Australian-sourced materials,” Cochineas noted.

VRC chief executive Simon Love said Pallion and ABC Bullion had presented an “exciting commercial proposition to the VRC”, adding, “We are looking forward to working with ABC Bullion moving forward.”

ABC Bullion has also been commissioned by VRC to produce a number of other horse racing trophies, as well as the Harry White Whip that is presented to the winning Melbourne Cup jockey.

Pallion is said to be Australasia’s largest precious metals services group, comprising ABC Bullion, ABC Refinery, Palloys, AGS | PJW, A&E Metals, Regentco, GoldenAge International and Custodian Vaults.

Prior to ABC Bullion’s appointment, the annual task of manufacturing the Melbourne Cup was undertaken by Hardy Brothers Jewellers. According to its website, the jewellery retailer held the responsibility for more than 25 years.