Talk:Platypus Trophy

A fact from Platypus Trophy appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page in the Did you know column on 4 December 2007. The text of the entry was as follows:

Did you know... that the Platypus Trophy, awarded to the winner of the Civil War college football game between Oregon and Oregon State, was lost for more than 40 years before being found in a closet in 2005?

A record of the entry may be seen at Wikipedia:Recent additions/2007/December.

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For B class

Need a physical description (size/weight/materials) to get this up to B, otherwise interesting history. Aboutmovies (talk) 07:04, 30 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

There are two dimensions out of three, and is that the statue or the statue and base? Info on both are really needed as this is an article about the trophy. Ditto with materials, is that the platypus or the base or both, plus how much does it weigh? And is the base considered part of the trophy? Might not be able to find the info, afterall no one could find the trophy for 40 years. Aboutmovies 06:03, 1 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I have to respectfully disagree about the dimensions. It's pretty obvious from looking at the photo that the 2 ft. length would apply equally well to the base and to the statue itself, and that the 18" height must include the base…alone, the statue couldn't be more than about 7" tall. I'm not entirely sure whether this is "start" or "B" class, but I don't think the dimensions or weight of the statue are the things that would make the difference. A free image would definitely help, and maybe there's a little more to the story that Canzano didn't catch…but I think the stats are sufficiently covered. -Pete 10:59, 1 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Think of this much as you would an article on a building. There is the physical building that needs to be described, and there is the history behind the building. This has an excellent A+ history section regarding the trophy. However, the physical description part has three things: two dimensions (and as a 3D object we need the third) and the material. I'm assuming the material listed is for the "trophy" and not the base, but this is not clear. Also, is the trophy the entire thing or just the scukpture part? I too would assume the height is 18" but again this needs to be spelled out (the picture will likely get deleted) and who knows if it will disappear again.

For B class there can not be any major ommissions. The main difference between B and GA is that GA has been copyedited for MOS issues and all the refs are full and make sure there are not any POV/OR issues. To me, the deminsions are a significant item for a physical object, much like a building, and that keeps it from being B class. Its a great article, there are no bad grades here, and the author(s) have little control on things not reported in RS. It's like my article on David Hill, it is a Start class and will likely never be higher even though it is the most complete biography of him in the world. I have spent hours at various archives and libraries and musuems researching him (plus admittance fees and copy fees, $1 a copy at OHS), but there is just no record of his life before Oregon (at least not in this state, liklely in Ohio). Without that major portion of his life, it can never be above a Start. But feel free to change it to B class if you like. Aboutmovies 11:48, 1 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

To clarify, I don't think it's B-class yet either, but I just thought you had missed the dimensions that were already in there. I'd agree with Pete that the dimensions include the base, but the base is pretty obviously not maple and I don't think it's part of what Spady sculpted. It needs some more info. I've been hearing more and more about the trophy in the news, so hopefully we can get a free pic and perhaps find out what it weighs. --Esprqii 19:20, 1 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

In looking again at the pic in relation to the sculptor's body, I think the height probably is that of the sculpture without the base. If you look from the tip of the beak to the attachment to the base, that's probably about 18". --Esprqii 19:24, 1 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Trophy picture

According to this article, the trophy now resides in a case at a trophy shop in Eugene(?!?), despite the Beavs victory in 2007. Since the shop will no doubt be renovated and the trophy lost behind a wall for another 50 years, any Eugeniacs want to go snap a photo? (Warning: asking to take a photo of a trophy is a well-known ruse for stealing it.) --Esprqii (talk) 00:39, 18 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Sources

Ambivalence

I don't understand why no one seems to care about the trophy anymore. The platypus is the perfect combo of both schools' mascots, and most serious rivalries have a trophy of some sort. --Bufori (talk) 06:11, 28 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

It is interesting, especially given the "stolen trophy" motif that usually heightens the importance of the trophy. Definitely incorporate the source you cited into the article. --Esprqii (talk) 14:59, 28 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]