Who Gets Custom Deal Toys (and What Exactly are They For?)

If you’re not in the financial industry, there’s a good chance you’ve never even heard of custom deal toys—often referred to also as financial tombstones. These transaction commemoratives can seem like a puzzling tradition at first glance, but they play a meaningful role in how firms recognize success and build lasting relationships.

But even if you are in finance, perhaps even a new investment banker charged with ordering them for the first time, you may still be wondering what exactly these pieces are for.

After all, they don’t seem to “do” much. (Very few deal tombstones are functional. You might occasionally see one that doubles as a pen stand or desk caddy, but those are increasingly rare.)

So it might be hard to see custom deal toys as anything other than some insignificant financial industry quirk: weird, self-indulgent, and maybe just plain silly.

If they don’t do anything, what—and who— exactly are they for?

And if they do serve a purpose, is it just for investment bankers? And even if you are an investment banker, and are already familiar with them, you may still be baffled. Why would anyone possibly ask you to disrupt your already hectic work schedule, just to devote time and energy to something that seems so…frivolous?

Deal Toys Do Have a Purpose (and More Than One)

These commemorative pieces—typically crafted from materials like crystal or Lucite—are designed to mark the successful completion of financial transactions. While often associated with investment banks, their use extends well beyond a single group of recipients.

Internal Recognition

One of the primary purposes of these piecess involves internal recognition. They serve as highly personalized awards for professionals involved in completing a transaction—whether in banking, private equity, legal advisory, or corporate roles.

Unlike standard, off-the-shelf recognition awards, these custom-designed pieces often incorporate elements specific to the deal itself, making them more meaningful and memorable. Unique desing elements might play off or evoke, for instance, a company logo, the industry involved, or the type of deal. (These highly customized, creative touches also tend to make deal toys such effective conversation pieces when put on display).

In his book chronicling the experiences of several first-year investment bankers, Young Money, Kevin Roose gives some sense of the impact of what some disparage as “deal trinkets”. He describes the nightly routine of one of the young bankers, chronically sleep-deprived and bleary-eyed with pitch books and other “deliverables”. “He kept his deal toys lined up on the desk in his bedroom”, Roose writes, “and he liked looking at them before bed”.

Even many senior bankers still find that same sort of satisfaction in deal toys. They represent—and recognize—the considerable amount of time, effort, and expertise that typically go into a completed deal.

Personal and Group Branding

A second rationale for deal toys involves promotion and branding. They showcase experience, expertise, and ultimately, success. The particular brand being promoted can be that of an entire firm or group (through, for instance, a display of deal toys in a conference or reception area).

But when displayed in an individual’s office or workspace, they speak more to a personal brand and provide what amounts to a visual resume of transactions and achievements.

Importantly, that visual resume tends to travel with bankers as they move from firm to firm; and just as significant, these custom deal toys are on display for a number of distinct and influential groups: colleagues, clients, and potential clients. For firms looking to enhance this kind of visibility, investing in custom deal toy designs can create a lasting visual record of transactions and achievements.

Deal toys are a uniquely powerful branding tool. An effectively-designed deal toy can ensure that a firm’s name is prominently displayed to a client long after the transaction.

Client Retention and Marketing

The most important recipients of these commemorative pieces are often external—specifically, the clients of the financial institution or advisory firm.

These custom pieces help reinforce relationships by providing a tangible reminder of a successful collaboration.

Decades ago, banks started to recognize that traditional, high-end “client appreciation gifts” had their limitations. Expensive pens, for instance, undoubtedly have both function and cachet, but they also have an uncanny knack for getting lost or disappearing.

High-end clocks, another obvious gift with high perceived value, posed different problems. Not all cultures prized clocks as gifts, and beyond that, just how many ornate desk clocks does an individual need, or for that matter, have the space for?

Their unique character, and cachet also explains why financial tombstones have managed to survive over the course of 60+ years—despite a litany of financial disruptions, downturns, and crises.

The Most Crucial Tombstone Recipients: Clients

By contrast, investment banks found that deal toys were something that clients tended to hold on to.

Why?

One reason was their distinctive designs, which, again, had special meaning and resonance for those involved in the transaction. Having a design specific to a deal, and all the many challenges and shared experiences that went into bringing that deal to fruition is what gives custom deal toys so much perceived value and cachet for participants.

(At The Corporate Presence, we’re regularly provided evidence of that perceived value. We routinely receive requests, from both bankers and their clients, to replace lost or broken deal mementos that were originally given years and sometimes even decades ago).

And because deal toys are valued in this way, they also tend to be displayed prominently. As banks soon appreciated—and long before the term “top-of-mind marketing” became so well-worn—that this also meant that their names and logos remained conspicuous to their clients. That kind of silent advertising and promotion can be invaluable, especially if you’re trying to lay for the groundwork for future business with that client. Firms seeking to strengthen client relationships often turn to financial tombstone and custom commemrative designs that reflect the significance of the transaction.

The gallery above demonstrates the visual appeal—translating into enduring marketing value—of an array of custom deal toy designs.

But are Custom Deal Toys Still Relevant—and Worth it?

But all this really speaks to the traditional rationale for deal toys, and there would seem to be a number of recent trends actively working against that rationale. Remote and hybrid work arrangements and cost-cutting, for instance, come immediately to mind.

Why would deal toys survive these realities?

The fact is that many recent trends have only underscored the value of deal toys. Yes, investment banks and financial institutions, like most organizations, have become increasingly cost-conscious. Deal tombstones have reflected that. They’ve have shed many of the flamboyant and extravagant flourishes they had in the 80’s and 90’s.

On the other hand, the impact of new workplace arrangements, especially in the form of fewer in-person interactions with colleagues and clients, has been profound. If anything, it has also tended to heighten the need to recognize employee contributions and forge deeper bonds with clients.

Due to their effectiveness, deal toys celebrate much more than transactions. This piece, for example, recognizes a law firm’s advisory work in a legal settlement.

Again, if anything, deal commemoratives have proliferated. Though they may not be ordering “deal toys” by name, a growing number of clients outside the financial sector are ordering similarly customized commemoratives to celebrate not only transactions but other organizational achievements and milestones.

What to Know Before Requesting a Custom Deal Toy Design

Before diving into the world of custom deal toys, there are a few key things you’ll want to keep in mind to ensure a smooth—and genuinely creative—process.

Be Clear About Your Objectives
Start by defining exactly what you’re commemorating. Are you marking the close of a complex transaction, celebrating a key partnership, or spotlighting an internal achievement? Clarifying the “why” will help your design team create something with personal significance—not just another desk ornament.

Expect a Collaborative Process
Unlike the assembly-line Lucite of yesteryear, today’s deal toys are highly tailored. Reputable designers thrive on bringing your specific story—and brand—to life. Be prepared to share details about your deal, company personality, and any design elements you want incorporated. The more context you provide, the more meaningful your end result.

Know the Timeline
Custom work takes time. From initial concept to final delivery, you’ll want to plan ahead—usually four to eight weeks is standard, but rush arrangements can sometimes be made.

Budget Appropriately
Costs can vary widely depending on materials, complexity, and quantity. Be up front about your budget at the outset so your design team can suggest options that maximize impact without sticker shock.

With these points in mind, you’re far more likely to end up with a memorable piece that’s worthy of both your achievement—and that coveted spot on a client’s desk.

Do You Need a Custom Deal Toy?

You may be considering a deal toy for an actual transaction.

But you might also want a “deal toy” to  recognize a strategic partnership or joint venture, legal advisory work in a favorable judicial decision, or regulatory approval of a new drug.

Despite their often playful design and character, and the seemingly dismissive “toy” tag, they do serve an important purpose—and not just for bankers. As the role of these commemorative pieces continues to evolve, more organizations–both within and outside finance–are appreciating their value for recognition, branding, and client engagemement.

Explore the design possibilities of custom deal toys.

David Parry is the Director of Digital Strategy for The Corporate Presence, and for Prestige Custom Awards, a designer and provider of custom corporate awards ranging from creative employee and client recognition pieces to the N.F.L. Commissioner’s Awards, and ESPN’s ESPY awards.