The Copa América is the main men's football tournament contested among national teams from South America. Copa América is Spanish, and translates as America Cup. The trophy is a tall silver cup that was first awarded in 1917.
The original trophy was purchased for 3000 Swiss francs, and crafted by the jewelery store Casa Escasany, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is made of gold, silver, copper and wood, and is 30 centimeters in diameter, 75 cm tall and weighs 9 kilograms.
Around the base of the trophy are plaques engraved with the year and winner of every competition. Prior to 1979 there was no base, and these have been added as required. A wooden base was added in 1979 to accommodate a second row of plaques, and in 1995 a third row was added.
The original trophy was awarded from 1917 until 2001. From 2004 to 2021 different replicas were presented to the winning team. The original trophy has been restored and will be presented to the 2024 Champions.
The trophy does not remain with the champion country. Recently, the perpetual trophy has been on display at the Conmebol Museum in Luque, Paraguay.
There was also a special edition cup awarded exclusively for Copa América Centenario in 2016.