A Lucite deal toy alternative: the building, in miniature
Lucite blocks are the standard deal toy, and for many deals they are the right one. When the deal is a building, there is another choice: the building itself, in miniature, starting from one photo, with the deal in raised letters on its base if you want it.
One piece or one for everyone at the table, on a lettered base or without. We reply by email. From $99 a piece without a base.
Lucite block or miniature
Both mark a closing for everyone who worked on it. They mark different things.
| Lucite block | Miniature of the building | |
|---|---|---|
| What it shows | The deal: names, logos, the amount and the date, set inside clear acrylic | The property: the building itself, with the deal on its base if you want it |
| Material | Clear acrylic | Engineered ceramic, matte white |
| Starts from | Your logos and the deal terms | One photo or the architect's rendering |
| Best for | Financings, fund closes, mergers: any deal without a building | Acquisitions, developments and refinancings of a property |
On a lettered base
The building can stand on a slim base in the same matte white, with two short lines in raised letters: the project or the deal, the amount, the date. Nothing is painted on, so the piece stays one color.
Short lines read best, under about 25 letters each. Put the wording in your quote request, or ask for a plain base, or none.
The city hall on its base at an awards dinner, nine inches long with the base. The wording is an example. Generated picture. 
The Washington, D.C. office building on a lettered base, nine inches tall with the base. The wording is an example. Generated picture.
When a Lucite block is the better choice
When the deal has no building: a bond issue, a fund close, a merger. Or when the point is the terms themselves, the names and the logos of every party, on a desk for years. A miniature's base holds two short lines and no logos.
The two also work together: a block for the terms, a miniature for the property.
Why a miniature for a property deal
On a property deal, the building is what everyone at the table worked on: sponsor, lender, brokers and counsel. A miniature of it says which deal it was at a glance, carries no firm's logo, and stands out on a shelf of clear blocks.
The city hall at an awards dinner, beside two champagne flutes, nine inches long. Generated picture. 
On an office shelf, where the clear blocks usually stand: the Indianapolis warehouse block, nine inches long. Generated picture. 
Handed across the table at a closing dinner: the Washington, D.C. office building, nine inches tall. Generated picture. 
The northern Virginia office building from the examples below, on a desk at seven inches long. Generated picture.
Which photo to start from
One photo is enough. The examples below show what carries through from a photo and what is left off.
- One building per photo. Crop out the neighbors, or tell us which building you mean.
- A corner view that shows two sides beats a straight-on front.
- For a building that is not finished, use the architect's rendering, not a photo of the site.
- Signs and logos on the building are left off, along with cars, poles and wires. Any wording goes on the base.
- Glass, metal and brick all come out in the same matte white.
Examples, not orders. In each pair the photo comes first and the preview made from it second. Every photo and drawing here is in the public domain.
A brick mill on a canal in Holyoke, Massachusetts. The windows and the arches at the waterline carry through; the water and the far buildings are left off. Photo: Carol M. Highsmith, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons. 
An office building in Washington, D.C. The round corner tower and the balconies carry through; the street, the lamps and the cars are left off. Photo: Carol M. Highsmith, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. 
A modern office building in northern Virginia, mostly glass. The glass comes out matte white, with the grid of the windows kept. Photo: Carol M. Highsmith, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. 
The Cannon House Office Building, from the air. An aerial view works too: the courtyard carries through, and the crane and the neighbors are left off. Photo: Architect of the Capitol, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. 
An architect's drawing of a city hall proposed for New York more than two centuries ago. A rendering works for a building that does not stand yet. Rendering: Benjamin Henry Latrobe, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. 
A warehouse block in Indianapolis. Two buildings in one photo become one piece; the poles, wires and painted sign are left off. Photo: Nyttend, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Ordering for the deal team
One piece, or one for each party and each member of the team. Request a quote with the building, how many pieces, the date of the closing dinner or the awards night, and the wording for the base. We reply by email with the price and the timing.
One piece or one for everyone at the table, on a lettered base or without. We reply by email. From $99 a piece without a base.
Timing
The quote gives you the timing before you commit to anything. If the pieces are for a dinner or an awards night, put its date in the request.
How it works
Send one photo
A photo of the building or the architect's rendering, with how many pieces you need, the date and any wording for the base.
Get a quote
We reply by email with the price and the timing.
Say yes, and it is made
Nothing is made or charged until you approve the quote. Each piece ships with tracking.
Sizes and prices
| Size | Longest side | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Small | Up to 4 in | $99 |
| Medium | Up to 5 in | $189 |
| Large | Up to 7 in | $269 |
| Grand | Up to 9 in | $399 |
Prices are for one piece without a base. A lettered base and sets are quoted. Every size is measured on the longest side. A wide building comes out lower, a tall one narrower.
Questions and answers
- What is a Lucite deal toy?
- A clear acrylic block made to mark a closed deal, with the parties' logos, the amount and the date set inside. Lucite is a brand name for acrylic, and the name has come to mean the whole category.
- What is a Lucite tombstone?
- The same thing by its older name. Banks once announced a closed deal with a plain notice in the financial papers, called a tombstone, and the clear block that marks the deal took the name.
- Is this Lucite?
- No. It is engineered ceramic, in a matte white finish, finished by hand. It is opaque rather than clear, and any lettering is raised on its base, in the same white.
- Can it carry the deal's details?
- Yes, on its base: two short lines in raised letters, in the same matte white as the building. The project or the deal, the amount and the date fit well. Or leave the base plain, so the piece suits every party at the table.
- How do I order?
- Request a quote with the form on this page: a photo of the building, how many pieces, the date and any wording for the base. We reply by email with the price and the timing, and nothing is made or charged until you say yes.
- How many can I order?
- One, or one for everyone at the table. Put the count and the date in your quote request, and the quote gives you the price and the timing.
- What if it arrives damaged?
- Tell us within 14 days of delivery with photos and we remake it free.
Request a quote
Send a photo of the building or the architect's rendering, how many pieces you need, the date, and the wording for the base if you want one. We reply by email with the price and the timing. Nothing is made or charged until you say yes.